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[Legion Hoops]: Per Sam Amick and Jovan Buha; “LeBron James wants to play 2-3 more years but might not push the limits if the Lakers can’t contend.”



[Legion Hoops]: Per Sam Amick and Jovan Buha; “LeBron James wants to play 2-3 more years but might not push the limits if the Lakers can’t contend.”

by Proof-Umpire-7718

16 Comments

  1. TallanoGoldDigger

    Jeanie has to decide when to draw the line for when to rebuild or just go all in now. Can’t have it both ways. Either keep the assets, run it back and risk LeBron leaving or go all in and ride the Bron train until it stops.

    They’ve been flip-flopping for years with varying levels of risk appetites and aggressiveness which led to some missed opportunities (Lue, DeRozan, Caruso, Hurley) and eventually bending over anyway (Westbrook)

    Just pick a lane and stick to it, instead of hedging too much. Either go with LeBron or go against him.

    All these reports are getting tiring.

  2. True max players are the reasons their team can contend. Not liking this mentality if this is true.

  3. Brokenbullet14

    Bron literally agreed with JJ that you need 1 or two superstars and a bunch of solid players to win. Now he wants depth gone. 

  4. Good way to put pressure on the Lakers.

    He knows they want him because he’s box office, but he can basically force them to trade all their assets to upgrade in the short term because he wants to win.

  5. ImperatorJCaesar

    I know this isn’t the point of the post, but I forgot how good those black jerseys looked. They need to bring them back.

  6. Impossible-Group8553

    Lebron could just end his career with the Cavs and have no pressure. A team that would be a legit contender. We’re lucky he’s committed to the Lakers.

  7. Hour_Insurance_7795

    Dude, I can’t wait 2-3 years to start taking this franchise serious again. I hope this shit’s not true. I want to watch winning basketball again.

  8. SlowCrates

    If LA manages the books well, they can afford to pay LeBron for as long as he wants to play and still contend without mortgaging their future. Because remember, as soon as LeBron leaves, that’s a lot of salary that is now open to offer players in Free Agency.

    At the same time, this team is only a couple of pieces away from contending. A Healthy AD offsets most bigs on most other contenders. A Healthy LeBron is the glue, the vision, and the swiss army knife for the team. Austin is a really good player and I’m excited to see what JJ’s mentorship will do for his game.

    The Lakers absolutely *have* to get rid of DLo by any means necessary. Addition by subtraction, because he’s not a winner and he’s not focused, and he never will be. But that doesn’t mean they can’t try to get *something* for him.

    I think JJ’s presence will absolutely amplify LeBron’s standards, because they see so eye-to-eye on so many things. LeBron won’t have to worry about “getting down” on teammates (even though he’s generally so positive he could probably give incredibly constructive criticism and leave players feeling better about themselves). LeBron can go back to practicing and playing without straddling a teaching role. Less distractions and less pressure on LeBron at 40 is a good thing.

    At a glance, the two dudes I think the Lakers would benefit from dumping and turning into assets:

    * Dlo (Let him walk if he wants to, otherwise trade him immediately for anything, you don’t want his toxic, streaky, loser ass eating over 13% of the team’s salary)
    * Gabe Vincent (He’s just a random body, he’s only 6’2″, his most athletic days are behind him, he’s not going to get better, and his salary is 11 million dollars. Go get two 25-year-olds who make 5.5 million apiece and they’ll combine for better stats than he does and allow other players to get some rest.

    Rui Hachimura is a wild card. He’s LeBron’s size, and he’s got moments of promise in his game. He shot 53.7% from the field last season, he shot 42.2% from 3. He’s a consistent 4 or 5 rebounds and 10-15 points every game. If JJ can unlock his potential by figuring out how to get him to buy in and stay focused, Rui could be a HUGE game changer.

    I suspect that the JJ experiment will last deep into the season as long as the Lakers are in the hunt, but if he can’t get some players to reach something close to their potential, they’ll be gone. There will be a massive shake up.

    It’s going to be an interesting season, that’s for sure.

  9. Winter-Gur-9762

    Lebron didn’t say that himself tho lmao

  10. Probably gonna get down voted to oblivion, but being realisic, what team could LeBron go to where he could win his 5th ring?

  11. meekerdeekers

    How are we gonna contend when he is taking a max contract at 40?

  12. There’s just no way for us to construct a contending team around LBJ and AD. We need depth+a decent center+a 3rd star that can take the burden off LBJ until the 4th quarter, which isn’t happening. This is why he needs to demand a trade and go somewhere else if he wants to chase more rings.

  13. Miserable-Lawyer-233

    If you’re averaging 26 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds on 54% from the field and 41% from three, you can definitely play 2-3 more years. The real question is whether the Lakers will improve enough to entice LeBron to stay. JJ is just one piece of the puzzle. The roster is the bigger piece. The Lakers are going nowhere if D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are their 3rd, 4th and 5th best players. Remember what JJ said about coveting two-way players? Dlo, AR and Rui are one-way players.

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