Anyone watching NBA Playoffs?
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Agreed. The G League that has considerably better basketball drew 1.6M fans total including the playoffs which drew large audiences and inflated the numbers. When you consider it had 25 teams playing 50 games, it averages an attendance just over 1,000 per game. Most team have ongoing promotions the include 2 free children tickets with one adult ticket which means the paid attendance is likely under 1k per game at $5-$15 per ticket. I try to catch games with former KU players and the attendance looks to be in the hundreds. Since the teams are associated with NBA teams, they get to use the facilities at little or no cost, most of the teams have some sponsorships and none is even close to being profitable.
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The G-League isn’t intended to turn a profit. It is a developmental ground for everything - coaches, trainers, players, front office staff, support staff - because you literally are running a franchise.
The Rockets have used their G-League team to develop strategy.
The Raptors use their to develop potential coaches. The Spurs have as well.
Several teams have sent young executives to their G-League teams to help run them. That’s why every NBA team will have an affiliate in the next couple of years. They are about developing talent and strategy at every level more so than turning a profit.
The G-League is beyond just developing players, although that will likely be the next frontier as the G-League expands player development strategy.
The G-League’s growth will likely kill off any real secondary basketball league in the U.S. because other leagues have to turn a profit, while the G-League will access better talent without needing to turn a profit.
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Again, agreed. My point was that with all the player talent it has and all the help it gets teams cannot even break even. How exactly does daddy Ball expect to stay in business under his current business model?
Daddy Ball just posted that after Lonzo contract is over, he will only play for a teams that signs all 3 of them…i get the feeling Lonzo was not consulted on this…
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Totally agree on those points.
My guess is that a team will offer LiAngelo a G-League deal, while Melo and Lonzo are in the NBA. LiAngelo on a G-League roster isn’t too far fetched. He’s a solid player, just not an NBA player.
That will certainly affect the market for Lonzo, and could handicap him ultimately. But its not out of the ordinary for NBA teams to sign the less talented brothers of top players for a few years.
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I watch last few minutes last night because it was a close game and I’m quickly reminded why I dislike the NBA. You could’ve called numerous moving screens that were obvious and everytime a player gets a foul called against him he throws a complete fit, what a great message for the young viewers. No wonder we see more arguing with the refs in college, most of them watch this trash.
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@kjayhawks The NBA is unwatchable for me.
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LeBron:
“Understanding especially where my boys are at this point in their age. They were a lot younger the last time I made a decision like this four years ago. I’ve got a teenage boy, a preteen and a little girl that wasn’t around as well. So sitting down and considering everything, my family is a huge part of whatever I’ll decide to do in my career, and it will continue to be that. So I don’t have an answer for you right now as far as that.”
It seems he wants to leave but only his family keeps him in Cleveland.
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LeBron bough a $25M house in LA a couple of months ago and now has two homes in LA and the one in Cleveland/Akron. He wants to finish his career in the biggest entertainment place in the country and that is without a doubt Los Angeles. It would not surprise me to See the Lakers shed a few players and get LeBron and another big name to make a run for multiple championships…of course, LeBron will also need a Former Jayhawk to win more titles…
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@JayHawkFanToo LeBron won’t win anything with the Lakers. Even if they land him and Paul George, they’re not making it past Golden State or Houston anytime soon.
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Both Golden State and Houston have free agents coming up and only so much money so their make up in a couple of years will be in all likelihood different. This has been the norm in the NBA and the period of dominance by a single team runs in cycles.
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@JayHawkFanToo Warriors are going to keep everyone, this is why KD is opting out so he can make a deal with GS to keep their core together.
Houston isn’t losing either of our key free agents either. Chris Paul has already said he’s going to resign and they’re not letting Capela go either. Trevor Ariza is only question mark, but he would likely be part of a sign and trade if LeBron chooses Houston
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If LeBron leaves Cleveland which I think he will I think he ends up in Boston or Philadelphia. Doesn’t make sense to join a team in the West unless it’s Houston.
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@Woodrow LeBron isn’t going to Boston with Kyrie there. LeBron ends up in either Philly, LA, or Houston and LA probably is the favorite so LeBron can start setting up his post NBA career out there.
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If LeBron was smart he’d go to Philly. I don’t think LeBron is the Goat (Wilt and I’ll argue) but the level of play he has been at for 14 years is unbelievable, the question to me becomes how many more years can he play at this level? He better off with a group of young fellas can only get better so he doesn’t have to carry the team 90% of the time. I believe Joel is already a top 5 player at his position when healthy and has a chance to become the best within a few years. Simmons is already a great athlete and passer, could also become a top 5 player at his position within a year or 2. I’d gladly take Saric and Reddick over Hill and Smith any day of the week. You add LeBron and Paul George or Leonard to that group and only the only Celtics when healthy could hold a candle to them in the east. The West gets so much tougher unless he goes to Houston, I’d say he’s a complete fool if he goes to the lakers idc if they get him and Paul George, they ain’t better than the 4th or 5th team in the West.
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This is an opportunity for LeBron to write his history. I agree that the options are Philly, Houston and GS from a basketball perspective. But Philly keeps him close to family and guarantees him a trip to the finals every year.
Is LeBron willing to treat Embiid and Simmons as equals, like he attempted to do with Wade and Bosh? I think if he does, history will be kind to him joining up with Philly.
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@approxinfinity I agree, don’t know that he’d take the bigger pay cut to be in Houston or Oakland. But if it’s all about cash he’ll be in gold with the lakers.
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Sure. I think he makes enough money regardless of what he does. It seems most about legacy at this stage, and influence. Maybe LA ties him into things and puts him in position to write history regardless of future success as a player. I don’t think he wants that. I think he wants to win. But we’ll see.
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Can a .369 3pt% team (PHI) + LeBron beat a .391 3pt% team (GSW)?
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2018.html https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2018.html
(HOU was .362, LAL was .345)
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Why would LeBron go to LA? They are terrible. Approximately zero chance he goes to LA.
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@Woodrow There’s actually a pretty high chance he goes to LA. LeBron also mentioned wanting to stay close to family. He already owns 2 homes in the LA area, including a $23 million mansion in Brentwood he bought in December. This will likely be the final contract he signs and since his oldest son appears to be a pretty highly regarded recruit, setting up in LA with all the prep schools in the general vicinity, including the Las Vegas area prep schools, makes sense from what LeBron has actually said will influence his decision.
The Lakers also have the cap space this offseason to sign 2 max level players. The Lakers have $20 million more than any other team so they could sign both LeBron and Paul George without much issue. There’s also talk that if the Lakers sign both of those two, they may make a run at trading for Leonard as well to give themselves a core of James, George, Leonard, Ball, and Kuzma.
The Rockets are a more complicated scenario, but after what Daryl Morey pulled off last summer to land Chris Paul, don’t doubt that he can work his magic again this offseason to swing something to land LeBron if LeBron wants to come to Houston. The key to any scenario involving the Rockets landing LeBron centers around the Rockets dumping Ryan Anderson’s $20 million contract. Morey will do anything to get rid of that albatross of a contract which is probably the worst deal he’s ever made.
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Also wondering about Milwaukee. They could dump Parker, trade Middleton, Dellevadova and Henson for no return or maybe for a future pick, and afford LeBron. Benefits are: not too far from Cleveland, easier East, play with LeBron 2.0 (giannis) and bledsoe, while having a couple younger player prospects and the 17th pick for upside. Small market, though. But Milwaukee has already changed its marketing strategy to be global with the Greek Freak as a centerpiece.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 people are extremely over reacting to LeBron owning a house in LA. He’s not going to the Lakers. If he leaves Cleveland it is going to be to a team that has established superstars that can compete for titles.
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Lebron will end up with a team that has stars already (Celtics, Sixers, Rockets), or a team that has the cap space to sign multiple stars (Lakers, Bulls, Sixers, Hawks, Kings, Mavericks).
There are other teams that could create enough space to sign Lebron without sacrificing too much talent (Spurs, Thunder, Wolves), and there’s always the possibility of a sign and trade - New Orleans, Washington and Portland all could make deals that could work on the math side with Cousins, Wall, and McCollum respectively, while still keeping another star to pair with Lebron. Boston could do the same with Kyrie going back to Cleveland, or moving Hayward (Hayward’s salary is the better match).
It will be complicated no matter what happens because of the talent and money that will be involved in any deal. Lebron makes any team in the East a title contender. If Cleveland gets nothing in return for him, they likely miss the playoffs completely next season. If they do get something back, Cleveland probably can squeeze out the 7 or 8 seed.
A lot of this will also depend on what happens with guys like Paul George, Chris Paul, Demarcus Cousins, and other superstars or secondary stars.
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Technically, LeBron can go to any othre team but realistically is just a few that have the cap space to accommodate what will likely be the largest salary ever. Philadelphia would have top get rid of several player top make room since it has several players that will be coming off their low rookie contracts and demanding top money; Embiid already has gotten a new contract and Simmons is next along with some key player like Redick that have high dollar contracts. Golden State has the highest payroll and Durant will be getting much larger contract than the $24M he gets now and after next season Klay Thompson is up and he will also be getting considerably more than the $18M he gets that could be considered a bargain and if he decides to leave, he would the the top player for a lot of other teams instead of the third wheel after Curry and Durant The same is true for many team and only a few have the cap space to take on LeBron and the supporting cast he will demand. LA has the cap space and the Knicks can shed a lot of contracts and have money to sign LeBron and another big name to go with Porzingis to create a contender, particularly in the weaker East Division.
Also, there is the chemistry aspect. Kyrie went o Boston because he did not want toi play with LeBron and if he were to sign with Boston, Kyrie likely is gone. I saw someone mentioned Milwaukee but I am not sure LeBron and the Greek Freak would be a good match, particularly when many consider him the next best player in the League and would be in direct competition with LeBron; it might be the same case with Houston and Harden plus Houston might not have the cap room because resigning Paul and Capela will not be cheap. Lebron does not just move to another team, he takes over the team and demands players he likes and even new coaches, something that does not sit well with most players or GMs.
Lebron will be 34 next December so he is getting to the end of his career and, much like Kobe, he started right after high school and played high minutes everywhere he has been so he has a lot more miles than other players his age. Realistically he has 3-5 year left, probably closer to 3, and with the current make up of the League his chances of catching Jordan title-wise are pretty slim, so my guess is he want to end his career in one of the bigger markets with an eye on his future after basketball and LA is without a doubt the place and the fact the he bought a second mansion there would appear to indicate he will be living there after he is done playing; I understand he spends a fair amount of the off season there already. LA has the cap space and few young promising players already and if it can get George and Leonard then it has the core for a real contender.
