2024 NBA Season

[Dave1]

The Lakers today seem to be close to making a deal that will get rid of Russell Westbrook and get them Mike Conley...  I'm not sure how they plan to pull off this wizardry but apparently they're getting close enough for people to be making reports about it.  Granted Mike Conley isn't exactly a young guy either, but his game is less centered around athleticism so it might be a step in the right direction for the Lakers.  Although not ideal...

I guess that's what the rumors is, but I think the Lakers will have to get more out of WB trade, Conley will not be enough.

If I'm the Lakers management, will want to keep WB this season, and see how he does with a healthy Bron and AD and with a new coach, just saying.

Jazz for sure have a lot of picks now, it's just a matter of being lucky and get a great player. If we look at OKC, they are still in the rebuilding phase. They got Chet, but he was injured so the gamble hasn't paid yet.

[LogitechMouse]

The Lakers today seem to be close to making a deal that will get rid of Russell Westbrook and get them Mike Conley...  I'm not sure how they plan to pull off this wizardry but apparently they're getting close enough for people to be making reports about it.  Granted Mike Conley isn't exactly a young guy either, but his game is less centered around athleticism so it might be a step in the right direction for the Lakers.  Although not ideal...

Mike Conley + players and draft picks. Getting Clarkson again might be a good trade as well.

TBH with how huge the contract of Westbrook is, I also don't know how the Jazz will deal with it and how will the trade talks end but I've read somewhere that the Lakers really want Westbrook to get traded because they see that he doesn't fit to the system of the team. Adding Conley to the Lakers will be a good thing because they will have a legit point guard though he is already past his prime, he can still make some good passes to his players and a good three-point shooter as well. Let's see how this will go or I might be surprised when I wake up in the morning.

[btc_angela]

The Lakers today seem to be close to making a deal that will get rid of Russell Westbrook and get them Mike Conley...  I'm not sure how they plan to pull off this wizardry but apparently they're getting close enough for people to be making reports about it.  Granted Mike Conley isn't exactly a young guy either, but his game is less centered around athleticism so it might be a step in the right direction for the Lakers.  Although not ideal...

Mike Conley + players and draft picks. Getting Clarkson again might be a good trade as well.

Mike Conley could be a good addition, Mike is a good point guard that the Lakers might need in exchange of Westbrook. Not sure how Clarkson will fit though money wise, the Lakers might not afford him.

TBH with how huge the contract of Westbrook is, I also don't know how the Jazz will deal with it and how will the trade talks end but I've read somewhere that the Lakers really want Westbrook to get traded because they see that he doesn't fit to the system of the team. Adding Conley to the Lakers will be a good thing because they will have a legit point guard though he is already past his prime, he can still make some good passes to his players and a good three-point shooter as well. Let's see how this will go or I might be surprised when I wake up in the morning.

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter. So there are still a lot of thing perhaps being discussed within the coach and front office. Whether to offload Westbrook in exchange of a point guard or someone like Clarkson coming from the bench to bring some spark.

Or the Lakers can get either Clarkson and Conley but they have to involved other teams in the trade.

[Hypnosis00]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

[Invester]

The Lakers today seem to be close to making a deal that will get rid of Russell Westbrook and get them Mike Conley...  I'm not sure how they plan to pull off this wizardry but apparently they're getting close enough for people to be making reports about it.  Granted Mike Conley isn't exactly a young guy either, but his game is less centered around athleticism so it might be a step in the right direction for the Lakers.  Although not ideal...

Mike Conley + players and draft picks. Getting Clarkson again might be a good trade as well.

TBH with how huge the contract of Westbrook is, I also don't know how the Jazz will deal with it and how will the trade talks end but I've read somewhere that the Lakers really want Westbrook to get traded because they see that he doesn't fit to the system of the team. Adding Conley to the Lakers will be a good thing because they will have a legit point guard though he is already past his prime, he can still make some good passes to his players and a good three-point shooter as well. Let's see how this will go or I might be surprised when I wake up in the morning.

Jazz after losing Gobert, Mitchell and possibly the rest of the remaining good players is a team with very low total salary. I am no expert on the present NBA agreement but there is a minimum amount to spend for a season. The Jazz does have the money to pay Westbrook without the extra luxury taxes. But in order for Utah to waste millions of dollars they will be asking future draft picks. It is up for the Lakers to gamble in order to provide LBJ the players he needed. 

[jossiel]

It would be nice if Clarkson will land to Phoenix, though I doubt if Utah will let him go. He's still young and with

this rebuilding process he can be the main man for this team. The Jazz can surround him with good role players and with those
future picks, he can work on them and utilize those new young bloods.

Though there's nothing is for sure. While you are in this league, we will hear any updates if Jazz will also trade those three known
stars.

It's highly unlikely that the Utah Jazz will allow Clarkson to be released from them. I think his contract will last until next year and that's the deal that he's got from there.

Well, if the Jazz management will pick some other helpers for him then that's a good deal. But if he's the one that will be buyout by any other team and gives them an offer that's hard to decline, we don't know what's next.

[blockman]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Damn, all of these Westbrook rumors aren't that great at all. Westbrook is far from becoming a shooter but we don't know what's on the mind of this coach.
If he sees the potential of Westbrook being like that, then he sees it and he's the only one that can maximize his usage into that full potential of what he's saying.

[Hypnosis00]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Damn, all of these Westbrook rumors aren't that great at all. Westbrook is far from becoming a shooter but we don't know what's on the mind of this coach.
If he sees the potential of Westbrook being like that, then he sees it and he's the only one that can maximize his usage into that full potential of what he's saying.

It's a wrong idea, that experiment will fail for sure. They need to make Westbrook as the attacker so he can draw the defense, and since he is a great point guard, for sure he can open shooters do the the shooting. He is new coach, for sure he will not follow the coaching style of the previous coach, but at the same time, he also needs to be careful with his experiment and make sure it will work.

[chaser15]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Damn, all of these Westbrook rumors aren't that great at all. Westbrook is far from becoming a shooter but we don't know what's on the mind of this coach.
If he sees the potential of Westbrook being like that, then he sees it and he's the only one that can maximize his usage into that full potential of what he's saying.

If we talk about Westbrook's current status, he's not that great shooter now but before I can say he was pretty good. What he can do now is to focus on inside scoring as even already far from his prime, he is still athletic and quick. Can still consider one of the strong and quick shooting guards in the league. He can still destroy defense inside with his acrobatic and strong moves.

I consider Westbrook is still a better player compared to the majority of the players in the league. Westbrook still has it. It's just that he needs to be strong in facing the criticism and try not to think of that as that's a distraction.

[Reid]

It would be nice if Clarkson will land to Phoenix, though I doubt if Utah will let him go. He's still young and with

this rebuilding process he can be the main man for this team. The Jazz can surround him with good role players and with those
future picks, he can work on them and utilize those new young bloods.

Though there's nothing is for sure. While you are in this league, we will hear any updates if Jazz will also trade those three known
stars.

That would be awesome. The Sixth Man of the Year becoming the main man. I don't think that happened yet. But, I would like to see Jordan Clarkson being part of the first five and doing what he is good at being a pointguard or a shooting guard.
Maybe we will know after their next move. They still have Mike Conley but that is a veteran, then most of the guards are all young. Its still unpredictable what the Jazz is trying to achieve this moment. Almost like they are starting over from scratch.

[carlisle1]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Damn, all of these Westbrook rumors aren't that great at all. Westbrook is far from becoming a shooter but we don't know what's on the mind of this coach.
If he sees the potential of Westbrook being like that, then he sees it and he's the only one that can maximize his usage into that full potential of what he's saying.

It's a wrong idea, that experiment will fail for sure. They need to make Westbrook as the attacker so he can draw the defense, and since he is a great point guard, for sure he can open shooters do the the shooting. He is new coach, for sure he will not follow the coaching style of the previous coach, but at the same time, he also needs to be careful with his experiment and make sure it will work.

LeBron brings him in (Lakers coach) and to my own opinion it will be LeBron that will design the system for both offense and defense

of Lakers not sure if he will allow that plan. I mean, Westbrook is not a shooter better to let him attack the basket and

create a good opening, he can take the layup or dunks, or he can throw the ball out for an open teammate to take the shot.

I still believe that if Lakers keep him, they will utilize his capabilities.

[wheelz1200]

Why is everyone obsessed with the Lakers getting more guys over the age of 30 lol.  Their main issue was keeping guys on the floor.  They need young talent, old teams never work ever.  Bron needs some fresh legs playing beside him.  They get Conley then what he only suits up for 40 games this season as he deals with nagging injuries.  They need some youth on that team.

[qwertyup23]

The Lakers today seem to be close to making a deal that will get rid of Russell Westbrook and get them Mike Conley...  I'm not sure how they plan to pull off this wizardry but apparently they're getting close enough for people to be making reports about it.  Granted Mike Conley isn't exactly a young guy either, but his game is less centered around athleticism so it might be a step in the right direction for the Lakers.  Although not ideal...

I've heard rumors too that the Lakers are targetting every player that the Jazz would like to dump. But I don't think the Jazz just want a Westbrook trade, they will need one more piece for their reconstruction. A draft or a young player. It's pretty obvious how they ended up in a trade with the Cavaliers.

Jazz and OKC are now tied with a stock of 15 first-round picks, I bet the Jazz want to add more if ever they will let Conley and Bojan go. And that's the formula to get rid of Westbrook for the Lakers and maybe 1 or 2 more picks for the Jazz.
While in rebuilding mode, they could just finish WB's contract or they could let go of him the next trade when another team eyes an interest.

The Lakers are running out of time to unload Westbrick and get the necessary players to utilize while Lebron is still playing at a superstar level. I will assume that the Lakers after losing that Irving potential due to their reluctance to give up their future draft picks are now willing to give it to the Jazz in order to obtain either Conley, Clarkson and Bojan. The Lakers should do it now because there are also many teams that are interested to take the good remaining players of Utah.

But since I am an underdog fan. I would love the Phoenix Suns to acquire 1 or 2 or even the 3 remaining stars of Utah. CP3 is old and definitely needs more support.

They may or not unload Westbrook from the Laker roster, I guess Ham already have a plan how to utilize Westbrook and Pat Bev on both offensive and defensive ends. I personally don't think they have run out of options on where to trade WB. And the Utah Jazz's Clarkson and co might be their last resort. Otherwise they'll have to run it back again with LeBron, AD, and Westbrook leading the squad.
This will be a great of opportunity for Ham to prove himself how good he is as a coach. Handling this current Laker roster is a bit challenging and pressuring specially that you have LeBron on your team. We all know LeBron is a good leader and may contradict with the coaches decision at some point.
I'd still love to see the Lakers run it back again this season.

Westbrooks contract is too expensive for any team to consider paying to get a washed up player or a bench player. I feel like he will sit alot of the season on the Lakers bench unless someone gets injured, which is very possible.

The problem with Westbrook is that he is sometimes inconsistent with his games. Maybe it is the way he plays like he wants to be the star player of every team but combining him with other superstars makes him somewhat least effective compared when he was in the OKC. Remember the time he managed to at least get a triple-double every game? We rarely see those stats anymore and people also criticize his jumpshot scoring.

I hope that Westbrook may find his rhythm in the Lakers. You really can see that he is struggling- which is I doubt that he would opt to be traded in to another team.

[danherbias07]

The Lakers are running out of time to unload Westbrick and get the necessary players to utilize while Lebron is still playing at a superstar level. I will assume that the Lakers after losing that Irving potential due to their reluctance to give up their future draft picks are now willing to give it to the Jazz in order to obtain either Conley, Clarkson and Bojan. The Lakers should do it now because there are also many teams that are interested to take the good remaining players of Utah.

But since I am an underdog fan. I would love the Phoenix Suns to acquire 1 or 2 or even the 3 remaining stars of Utah. CP3 is old and definitely needs more support.

Indeed they are. So, their chance is Coach Ham to implement whatever he said he was planning for Westbrook. Give him the chance to show it in the first half of the season before the trades open up again. If it's good then I think the Lakers management will start to doubt if ever there is a need for a trade.
I still believe WB has it in him, he just came at the wrong time where AD was also injured so everyone's eye is on him.
It's not like he is already a 40-year-old player ready for retirement. The agility is there, the shooting just went down a bit and the errors are seen like a microscope. 

[laurenB7742]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Damn, all of these Westbrook rumors aren't that great at all. Westbrook is far from becoming a shooter but we don't know what's on the mind of this coach.
If he sees the potential of Westbrook being like that, then he sees it and he's the only one that can maximize his usage into that full potential of what he's saying.

If we talk about Westbrook's current status, he's not that great shooter now but before I can say he was pretty good. What he can do now is to focus on inside scoring as even already far from his prime, he is still athletic and quick. Can still consider one of the strong and quick shooting guards in the league. He can still destroy defense inside with his acrobatic and strong moves.
I consider Westbrook is still a better player compared to the majority of the players in the league. Westbrook still has it. It's just that he needs to be strong in facing the criticism and try not to think of that as that's a distraction.

If the coach is thinking of playing him as a shooter, it is quite possible that this plan is going to fail. He is not playing well right now and I think if he is handed the shooting job, he will not be able to perform effectively. I know everyone is expecting him to perform more effectively. But I don’t know if he is willing to do that as well. He will have to check his work carefully and try really hard. And through diligent work, he will have to prove that he is actually willing to change. Yes, I also consider him to be a competent player and better than a lot of players in the league. But that doesn’t mean he will be able to carry his team alone.

It would be nice if Clarkson will land to Phoenix, though I doubt if Utah will let him go. He's still young and with
this rebuilding process he can be the main man for this team. The Jazz can surround him with good role players and with those
future picks, he can work on them and utilize those new young bloods.
Though there's nothing is for sure. While you are in this league, we will hear any updates if Jazz will also trade those three known
stars.

It's highly unlikely that the Utah Jazz will allow Clarkson to be released from them. I think his contract will last until next year and that's the deal that he's got from there.
Well, if the Jazz management will pick some other helpers for him then that's a good deal. But if he's the one that will be buyout by any other team and gives them an offer that's hard to decline, we don't know what's next.

Without Mitchell, Utah will have trouble managing already. If they also let Clarkson leave the team, the team will end up being very weak. They can do that if they are contemplating changing the team for the better. But I really don't think that is the case. Anyway, I think Utah should keep him on the team. They should see out the contract until the end. And I believe he will be quite productive for the team until the end of his contract.

[Jating]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Damn, all of these Westbrook rumors aren't that great at all. Westbrook is far from becoming a shooter but we don't know what's on the mind of this coach.
If he sees the potential of Westbrook being like that, then he sees it and he's the only one that can maximize his usage into that full potential of what he's saying.

It's a wrong idea, that experiment will fail for sure. They need to make Westbrook as the attacker so he can draw the defense, and since he is a great point guard, for sure he can open shooters do the the shooting. He is new coach, for sure he will not follow the coaching style of the previous coach, but at the same time, he also needs to be careful with his experiment and make sure it will work.

This is the numbers that I got when I searched about Westbrook shooting percentage last year:

Russell Westbrook shot 44.4% (548/1233) overall and 29.8% (79/265) from three in 78 games in 2021-22.

I would say decent percentage but he can improved a lot on this. So I would say that Ham turning him to be a shooter might not be a bad idea at all. Westbrook just need to bring his confidence back so that he can at least improved this numbers as a shooter.

[Baofeng]

I also read that the new coach wanted to used Westbrook and be a shooter.

That's funny because Westbrook will never be a great shooter, unless he will be the one carrying the ball and find ways to get inside and draw a foul. his point percentage has gone down, that's because he is not anymore with OKC, it's a different system that he is playing now which does not fit fully fit him.

Maybe a medium bank shot shooter because he is known for that. But to be honest, it might be a good idea for him to be like like P.J. Tucker because he might not fit that role and it could led to Westbrook really being traded because he will be exposed as a bad shooter.

It's better for him to do his role, dribble and penetrate and then assists outside and rebound to get his triple double every night.

[gagux123]

I would say decent percentage but he can improved a lot on this. So I would say that Ham turning him to be a shooter might not be a bad idea at all. Westbrook just need to bring his confidence back so that he can at least improved this numbers as a shooter.

I also believe Russell Westbrook has been improving his shooting.
He is an inconsistent player (as mentioned above), but he will be able to improve over time.
One of its main qualities is his speed and explosion, I even think it's viable to compare it with DRose.

[jakelyson]

Why is everyone obsessed with the Lakers getting more guys over the age of 30 lol.  Their main issue was keeping guys on the floor.  They need young talent, old teams never work ever.  Bron needs some fresh legs playing beside him.  They get Conley then what he only suits up for 40 games this season as he deals with nagging injuries.  They need some youth on that team.

Right, they need young players to complement their old roster. They already run that setup last season where most of their players are aging, and they cannot win. Younger teams are running circles on them. And with age comes the possibility of injuries. Since Jazz is rebuilding, maybe they should make a move to take Clarkson instead. He has played with Lebron before and he is still very young. And with his performance last year with the Jazz, he can be a big help coming from the bench.

Russell Westbrook shot 44.4% (548/1233) overall and 29.8% (79/265) from three in 78 games in 2021-22.

I would say decent percentage but he can improved a lot on this. So I would say that Ham turning him to be a shooter might not be a bad idea at all. Westbrook just need to bring his confidence back so that he can at least improved this numbers as a shooter.

I do not know if he can still improve on that. He is already on the decline. In Washington, he is 31.5% in 3pt% and last year just 29.8%. He would be an unreliable shooter if the coach will put him as a corner shooter. That will just destroy westbrook further. I think he should take the guard role instead and let westbrook do what westbrook does the best. Or just trade him because he does not fit if they will force him to be the shooter.

[dwyane36]

Jazz after losing Gobert, Mitchell and possibly the rest of the remaining good players is a team with very low total salary. I am no expert on the present NBA agreement but there is a minimum amount to spend for a season. The Jazz does have the money to pay Westbrook without the extra luxury taxes. But in order for Utah to waste millions of dollars they will be asking future draft picks. It is up for the Lakers to gamble in order to provide LBJ the players he needed. 

To be honest, I doubt the Jazz would have any interest in Westbrook, given the Jazz management's desire to collect future draft picks to rebuild the team. Moreover, Westbrook should earn $47 mln for the coming season, and I don't think any team would want to waste so much money at a time when there are plenty of other good players out there for less money.