I can't for the life of me understand why Warriors replaced Klay with a 6'1 Melton and Kyle Anderson. Is Melton/Anderson better than GP, Moody, JK, Wiggins, Podz? They don't bring anything to the table that their current roster doesn't already provide. They lost an elite 3 point shooter. They need to replace him with such. Alec Burks is no Klay. But he's Klay's size, shot 40% from 3 5 of the last 6 years, and almost single handedly kept the Knicks in the games vs the Pacers. He brings something to the team that the Warriors desperately need and lack and which none of the guys mentioned above excel at. At this point its about rounding out the team with key role players who bring something unique to the table or fill a need. Melton and Anderson do neither and only eat into minutes that all of the players mentioned above need to play. What can Moody or GP do in 25 min per game? Who knows we've never seen it. GP is a game changer in the 10 min he's in the game. Moody has shown flashes of his ability but is always benched. This should've been the season for them to prove their worth but with these new additions that seems highly unlikely.
Jeff, are you aware the Warriors are putting the finishing touches on a Buddy Hield sign-and-trade with the 76ers. They'll be paying Hield ~$6M/yr (the remainder of the $16M TPE acquired for Klay, $9M of which we used for Kyle Anderson, 6'9"). Hield is a career 40% shooter (statistically, probably the best in the NBA for the last 8 years after Steph and Klay) and 4 years younger than Klay.
I believe Hield fills the role you're suggesting Burks would. Hypothetically:
- 10-16 mins off the bench when Steph plays
- 24 mins when Steph is out
Hield is not a great defender, but neither was Klay.
As for Melton, he can play PG. Without him, we have only Steph and Podz. A team must have 3 PG's. He excels at playing alongside lead guards like Harden and Tyreese Maxey, taking over ball-handling as needed. He's also a ++ on-ball defender, making GP2's $9M contract expendable. Melton started every game for Philly, a top 8 team in the NBA, that he dressed for in his 2 seasons there.
As for Anderson, he's way more than your description, and he fills a different role than Moody and GP. 6'9", 230lbs, 7'2" wingspan. There are about 5 guys in the league in this "swiss-army knife" category. He can't shoot and seems to move in slow-motion, but he's one of the best all-around defenders in the game, one of the best passers, etc. If you watched the Minnesota-Denver series, you saw that Finch had him on the floor in all the crucial moments. We signed him for 3 years at $9M for a reason.
Good Morning! Waiting for the shiny new thread and more Marrakken news. We were 110 yesterday. Supposed to be hotter today. Consider yourself lucky if you are on the coast.
I was tracking all our aquisitions and its really going to be a whole new ballgame. Thank you to our leader and all the clever, informative posts here!
LeBron James senior, who was ready, absolutely totally standing-by ready, to sign for less than the max so that the Lakers could get other high value player(s), has signed for … drum roll … the max, in a two year deal.
Schadenfreude has a way of catching up to me, so I won't take pleasure in LakerNation's pain... but, the noise from LA this morning is deafening, calling for Pelinka's head.
Pelinka could not take advantage of the gift LeBron offered a few days ago to take a lower salary to land a meaningful. LeBron takes his money back as a vote of "no confidence" in Pelinka.
I would love to hear the numbers that are talking about for Hield. But, since it's a S&T, it's above a minimum, clearly.
With Anderson at $9 mil/yr (seriously, this guy should have been a Warrior 5 years ago), it seems like we are not going to stay below the tax line. If my eyeball of Perks' spreadsheet is correct, that only leaves us between 2 mil and 3 mil under the tax line before any Hield signing.
And, of course, a Markkanen trade could change it all, I guess.
Just a thought, but is Hield the move that is clearing Wiggins? If so, it's taking time because they need to rope in a 3rd team, 'cuz Wiggs would get mugged before he leaves the airport in Philly. Toronto, Wiggs' hometown could be in play.
GSW Hield PHI Bruce Brown TOR Wiggs
Hield contract could come in around 16-18, giving us more salary relief, he then becomes our 6th man scorer off the bench. This would mean the SF slot will be given wholly to Moody with a little JK and Slo-Mo mixed in. I'd be cool with that. I believe Moody can give us as much as Wiggins has and maybe more moving forward at much less money.
Regarding Jerry Stackhouse, many fans might not remember him and his long NBA career, 19? seasons. He was a volume shooter with kind of a low TS% in the Cohan era primarily with Detroit and Dallas. That's a lot of time in the NBA to learn some things. He was an all star and a 6th man. He shot 29.8ppg in 2000-1 season. Not a great defensive player. In those days, 3 point shooters were not as good as they are now. Steph changed all of that.
If the rumors we’ve been hearing are true, I like that the team appears focused not merely on three-point shooting per se, but on players who shoot the three at volume and off movement. It never quite adds up when folks speculate about the Dorian Finney-Smiths of the world, because those guys won’t have the luxury of standing in the corner for the W’s. Lauri Markkanen, Cam Johnson, Budy Hield, Paul George… that’s a Who’s Who of high volume NBA movement shooters. Throw Lindy Waters in there, as well.
If what you say about Waters is true, I'll be looking forward to seeing him play. Those are all players who have changed the complexion of their respective teams.
Indeed he does. I would even go so far as to call him undisciplined. Kerr will need to get his ruler out for those knuckle smacking talks behind closed doors.
It's so weird ... we've gone from such a shooting poor team to one where at least on paper, there are 4-5 guys you probably would be confident if they raised their usage level (depending on how Post and Wiggs pan out next year, primarily)
I saw Jackson Rowe was part of a Dubs press conference along with Quinten Post and Coach Vereen. I know very little about Rowe other than he's a 6'7" wing who played at Cal State Fullerton and then the SC Dubs. What's his game like? Can any of y'all offer a quick scouting report? Did he get a two-way deal this year?
Your ownership and front office is a mess. Jeanie’s entire ordeal with Jerry West and the multitude of other things she’s got going. Your GM is somehow making all these bad moves and getting off free while the coaches are getting cycled through. An assistant coach would want some measure of stability and the Lakers just don’t have that.
Plus the optics are also pretty bad. You have Lebron (once he signs) who has brought in his son to play for y’all. Lakers have been in many rumors for various guys and can’t get anyone. And finally, the head coach is your star’s podcast cohost.
Pretty sure Klay was thinking the same thing. I still think Klay gets his final year in a Laker uniform post-LeBron. I don't see Klay giving up his boat life for Horses and Cattle.
I honestly think JJ could be a good coach. He's a really good communicator on his podcast, he clearly knows the game from a bbiq perspective, and from the many young and older players that have been on the show he seems like a good player's coach. But coaching Lebron's team when he was drafted after him, retired before him, just started a podcast with him... I think this was a mistake, I don't see this being a position from which he can succeed.
JJ doesn't seem like a yes-man. Since he'll be with the Lakers long after Lebron is gone, he should simply follow his own plan and prove that his coaching chops are for real. Pat Riley was an announcer for the Lakers before he was coach. He became a monster coach and a huge presence for the NBA. Those are the kind of shoes JJ should be looking at. Also, keep in mind that Pelinka has a ring with the Lakers. He might know a thing or two about teams.
I like adding Anderson IF he gets his shot back. He had eye problems and last year his shot was MIA. I like Melton if his back is healthy. Hopefully we made those deals because Dr Celebrini's team looked over the medical records and felt confident they were okay.
However, I hope the Hield deal falls through. Yeah, he can shoot, but that's all he does. There are a lot of young shooters around nowadays with more upside potential.
I don't think we need more guards. Let's get some long wings or another big first.
Isn't that what Klay did, shoot? They want to replace some of that. Anderson is not the guy that is going to do that. He is a defensive presence, not a shooter. Melton can definitely score as well as Hield. Personally, I wouldn't go for Hield but I can understand MDJ wanting to give the team some points.
I wanted Batum, Covington, or even Trent Jr.. Not sure why MDJ picked Hield over the other remaining free agents. Buddy Hield is basically Klay at home.
We are not in a boom or bust or Win Now frame of mind any longer. As a fan, we need to shift our focus towards the realities of our situation. MDJ has been doing just that. Some things will work, others will not, but we have enough assets to see some decent basketball played.
I agree with you as well. But if we're doing boom or bust after the acquisitions already made, I want some length/size. More 6'4" and under guys... we have that already.
That’s definitely Lauri, but getting him goes beyond boom or bust…giving up the future for a guy that plays 50 games for us would be bust only, and there’s a huge chance that happens
Not sure what I'd be willing to give up for Buddy Hield if I were in MDJ's shoes. Hield strikes me as kind of like Nick Young... can make threes, for sure, but anything else you get is a bonus.
I thought Stotts did quite a bit with those Portland rosters, which always had at least one humongous flaw and usually more (Dame/CJ was a defensive nightmare).
I don't know much about Stackhouse as a coach.
What I particularly like is that they are out of the organization hires ... we'll see some new ideas, I imagine.
So according to Spotrac, the Dubs have $7.6M in space under the first apron where they are hardcapped. The estimate for Klay's contract is $15,873,016. The estimate for SloMo is $8,571,429. That leaves $7,301,587 remaining in the TPE. The TPMLE is ~$5.2M. There are still quite a few teams with MLEs available, but I doubt any will prioritize Buddy.
If Buddy has the same read I do, it's definitely conceivable $7.3M is the best offer he will get and the Dubs could absorb him into the TPE. If so, a SRP and a TPE is about as good as PHI can ask for in return. Let's wait and see, but it's also incredible around the margins for MDJ. But it would leave minimal dollars to play with. We couldn't take more money in any trade. So Moody + Kuminga + picks for Markannen works in the machine, but we could no longer do under the hard cap.
There are probably ten, 15 guys in the G-league and NBA who are close, if imperfect, substitutes for Hield.
And, seriously, his defense is bad. I watched Sac a lot when he came into the league. Guys would drive right by him about 3 feet away, and he'd just have this confused look on his face. No thought of a hedge, or a swipe-down, or, you know, move your feet.
Yeah if this Buddy Hield trade goes through I’m even more positive the big fish trade would follow it within the hours. Ain’t no way we’re keeping that many little dudes around who are all rotation worthy players
I can't for the life of me understand why Warriors replaced Klay with a 6'1 Melton and Kyle Anderson. Is Melton/Anderson better than GP, Moody, JK, Wiggins, Podz? They don't bring anything to the table that their current roster doesn't already provide. They lost an elite 3 point shooter. They need to replace him with such. Alec Burks is no Klay. But he's Klay's size, shot 40% from 3 5 of the last 6 years, and almost single handedly kept the Knicks in the games vs the Pacers. He brings something to the team that the Warriors desperately need and lack and which none of the guys mentioned above excel at. At this point its about rounding out the team with key role players who bring something unique to the table or fill a need. Melton and Anderson do neither and only eat into minutes that all of the players mentioned above need to play. What can Moody or GP do in 25 min per game? Who knows we've never seen it. GP is a game changer in the 10 min he's in the game. Moody has shown flashes of his ability but is always benched. This should've been the season for them to prove their worth but with these new additions that seems highly unlikely.
Jeff, are you aware the Warriors are putting the finishing touches on a Buddy Hield sign-and-trade with the 76ers. They'll be paying Hield ~$6M/yr (the remainder of the $16M TPE acquired for Klay, $9M of which we used for Kyle Anderson, 6'9"). Hield is a career 40% shooter (statistically, probably the best in the NBA for the last 8 years after Steph and Klay) and 4 years younger than Klay.
I believe Hield fills the role you're suggesting Burks would. Hypothetically:
- 10-16 mins off the bench when Steph plays
- 24 mins when Steph is out
Hield is not a great defender, but neither was Klay.
As for Melton, he can play PG. Without him, we have only Steph and Podz. A team must have 3 PG's. He excels at playing alongside lead guards like Harden and Tyreese Maxey, taking over ball-handling as needed. He's also a ++ on-ball defender, making GP2's $9M contract expendable. Melton started every game for Philly, a top 8 team in the NBA, that he dressed for in his 2 seasons there.
As for Anderson, he's way more than your description, and he fills a different role than Moody and GP. 6'9", 230lbs, 7'2" wingspan. There are about 5 guys in the league in this "swiss-army knife" category. He can't shoot and seems to move in slow-motion, but he's one of the best all-around defenders in the game, one of the best passers, etc. If you watched the Minnesota-Denver series, you saw that Finch had him on the floor in all the crucial moments. We signed him for 3 years at $9M for a reason.
I think I agree with you. I stand corrected :)
Good Morning! Waiting for the shiny new thread and more Marrakken news. We were 110 yesterday. Supposed to be hotter today. Consider yourself lucky if you are on the coast.
I was tracking all our aquisitions and its really going to be a whole new ballgame. Thank you to our leader and all the clever, informative posts here!
LeBron James senior, who was ready, absolutely totally standing-by ready, to sign for less than the max so that the Lakers could get other high value player(s), has signed for … drum roll … the max, in a two year deal.
Schadenfreude has a way of catching up to me, so I won't take pleasure in LakerNation's pain... but, the noise from LA this morning is deafening, calling for Pelinka's head.
Pelinka could not take advantage of the gift LeBron offered a few days ago to take a lower salary to land a meaningful. LeBron takes his money back as a vote of "no confidence" in Pelinka.
Congrats LeBron!
I would love to hear the numbers that are talking about for Hield. But, since it's a S&T, it's above a minimum, clearly.
With Anderson at $9 mil/yr (seriously, this guy should have been a Warrior 5 years ago), it seems like we are not going to stay below the tax line. If my eyeball of Perks' spreadsheet is correct, that only leaves us between 2 mil and 3 mil under the tax line before any Hield signing.
And, of course, a Markkanen trade could change it all, I guess.
Just a thought, but is Hield the move that is clearing Wiggins? If so, it's taking time because they need to rope in a 3rd team, 'cuz Wiggs would get mugged before he leaves the airport in Philly. Toronto, Wiggs' hometown could be in play.
GSW Hield PHI Bruce Brown TOR Wiggs
Hield contract could come in around 16-18, giving us more salary relief, he then becomes our 6th man scorer off the bench. This would mean the SF slot will be given wholly to Moody with a little JK and Slo-Mo mixed in. I'd be cool with that. I believe Moody can give us as much as Wiggins has and maybe more moving forward at much less money.
Regarding Jerry Stackhouse, many fans might not remember him and his long NBA career, 19? seasons. He was a volume shooter with kind of a low TS% in the Cohan era primarily with Detroit and Dallas. That's a lot of time in the NBA to learn some things. He was an all star and a 6th man. He shot 29.8ppg in 2000-1 season. Not a great defensive player. In those days, 3 point shooters were not as good as they are now. Steph changed all of that.
If the rumors we’ve been hearing are true, I like that the team appears focused not merely on three-point shooting per se, but on players who shoot the three at volume and off movement. It never quite adds up when folks speculate about the Dorian Finney-Smiths of the world, because those guys won’t have the luxury of standing in the corner for the W’s. Lauri Markkanen, Cam Johnson, Budy Hield, Paul George… that’s a Who’s Who of high volume NBA movement shooters. Throw Lindy Waters in there, as well.
I wonder if there is a stat for off movement three point shooting.
perceptive. And not something I'd thought about.
If what you say about Waters is true, I'll be looking forward to seeing him play. Those are all players who have changed the complexion of their respective teams.
Ha, I didn’t mean to suggest he was on the same level as those other guys. But he does seem like a guy who will let it fly from all over the court.
Indeed he does. I would even go so far as to call him undisciplined. Kerr will need to get his ruler out for those knuckle smacking talks behind closed doors.
I mean, if you can shoot 40 percent on crazy volume, I vote in favor of shooting a crazy volume. But we'll see how it goes.
It's so weird ... we've gone from such a shooting poor team to one where at least on paper, there are 4-5 guys you probably would be confident if they raised their usage level (depending on how Post and Wiggs pan out next year, primarily)
If they get him, I'll be a supporter as long as they focus the defense.
I saw Jackson Rowe was part of a Dubs press conference along with Quinten Post and Coach Vereen. I know very little about Rowe other than he's a 6'7" wing who played at Cal State Fullerton and then the SC Dubs. What's his game like? Can any of y'all offer a quick scouting report? Did he get a two-way deal this year?
Here's a post that describes how much trouble Lakers are in right now: https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1du5hrp/mcmenamin_dwane_casey_has_withdrawn_his_name_from/lbe9id3/
Your ownership and front office is a mess. Jeanie’s entire ordeal with Jerry West and the multitude of other things she’s got going. Your GM is somehow making all these bad moves and getting off free while the coaches are getting cycled through. An assistant coach would want some measure of stability and the Lakers just don’t have that.
Plus the optics are also pretty bad. You have Lebron (once he signs) who has brought in his son to play for y’all. Lakers have been in many rumors for various guys and can’t get anyone. And finally, the head coach is your star’s podcast cohost.
Pretty sure Klay was thinking the same thing. I still think Klay gets his final year in a Laker uniform post-LeBron. I don't see Klay giving up his boat life for Horses and Cattle.
I honestly think JJ could be a good coach. He's a really good communicator on his podcast, he clearly knows the game from a bbiq perspective, and from the many young and older players that have been on the show he seems like a good player's coach. But coaching Lebron's team when he was drafted after him, retired before him, just started a podcast with him... I think this was a mistake, I don't see this being a position from which he can succeed.
JJ doesn't seem like a yes-man. Since he'll be with the Lakers long after Lebron is gone, he should simply follow his own plan and prove that his coaching chops are for real. Pat Riley was an announcer for the Lakers before he was coach. He became a monster coach and a huge presence for the NBA. Those are the kind of shoes JJ should be looking at. Also, keep in mind that Pelinka has a ring with the Lakers. He might know a thing or two about teams.
I took a look at Melton, SlowMo, and Hield's rebounding stats in the past three seasons:
Melton: 4.5 ('21-'22); 4.1 ('22-'23); 3.7 ('23-'24)
Anderson: 5.3 ('21-'22); 5.3 ('22-'23); 3.5 ('23-'24)
Hield: 5.1 ('21-'22); 5.0 ('22-'23); 3.2 ('23-'24)
Are these good rebounding numbers?
Per game numbers tell us very little without the context of possessions or minutes played. Per 100 possessions, career:
Anderson 9.8
Melton 7.8
Hield 7.0
Still need more context to determine “good,” but I was pleasantly surprised that Hield is as decent as he is. By way of comparison:
CP 6.7
Wiggs 6.4
Klay 5.3
Markkanen 11.4
I like adding Anderson IF he gets his shot back. He had eye problems and last year his shot was MIA. I like Melton if his back is healthy. Hopefully we made those deals because Dr Celebrini's team looked over the medical records and felt confident they were okay.
However, I hope the Hield deal falls through. Yeah, he can shoot, but that's all he does. There are a lot of young shooters around nowadays with more upside potential.
I don't think we need more guards. Let's get some long wings or another big first.
Isn't that what Klay did, shoot? They want to replace some of that. Anderson is not the guy that is going to do that. He is a defensive presence, not a shooter. Melton can definitely score as well as Hield. Personally, I wouldn't go for Hield but I can understand MDJ wanting to give the team some points.
I wanted Batum, Covington, or even Trent Jr.. Not sure why MDJ picked Hield over the other remaining free agents. Buddy Hield is basically Klay at home.
Hield is a mobile player and a volume shooter. Batum and Covington have seen better days. It's not the end of the world if they sign him.
In Celebrini we trust.
Agreed on all of this, especially Hield
I’d feel sick to gut the youth for Lauri and his checkered injury history as well.
But, in a world of cap hell that Mike has to deal with, you’re going to get a lot of boom or bust type of situations if you want to win now
We are not in a boom or bust or Win Now frame of mind any longer. As a fan, we need to shift our focus towards the realities of our situation. MDJ has been doing just that. Some things will work, others will not, but we have enough assets to see some decent basketball played.
I agree with you as well. But if we're doing boom or bust after the acquisitions already made, I want some length/size. More 6'4" and under guys... we have that already.
That’s definitely Lauri, but getting him goes beyond boom or bust…giving up the future for a guy that plays 50 games for us would be bust only, and there’s a huge chance that happens
Indeed, that's why I agree with you.
If everyone’s healthy and clicking come playoffs though, this would be a very good roster
There's a subreddit for Terry Stotts. It's called r/rareterrys. It got a new post after nearly 9 months because he was hired by the Warriors.
https://old.reddit.com/r/rareterrys/
Not sure what I'd be willing to give up for Buddy Hield if I were in MDJ's shoes. Hield strikes me as kind of like Nick Young... can make threes, for sure, but anything else you get is a bonus.
He strikes me as a much more professional presence than Young.
No one is less professional than Nick.
Man, you try to get some sleep and stuff happens.
Love the Anderson and Stotts pickups.
I thought Stotts did quite a bit with those Portland rosters, which always had at least one humongous flaw and usually more (Dame/CJ was a defensive nightmare).
I don't know much about Stackhouse as a coach.
What I particularly like is that they are out of the organization hires ... we'll see some new ideas, I imagine.
I like Stotts -- as an offensive guy. Can he coach the defense?
Stoked about Anderson. Def wanted him. Livingston vibes all day.
So according to Spotrac, the Dubs have $7.6M in space under the first apron where they are hardcapped. The estimate for Klay's contract is $15,873,016. The estimate for SloMo is $8,571,429. That leaves $7,301,587 remaining in the TPE. The TPMLE is ~$5.2M. There are still quite a few teams with MLEs available, but I doubt any will prioritize Buddy.
If Buddy has the same read I do, it's definitely conceivable $7.3M is the best offer he will get and the Dubs could absorb him into the TPE. If so, a SRP and a TPE is about as good as PHI can ask for in return. Let's wait and see, but it's also incredible around the margins for MDJ. But it would leave minimal dollars to play with. We couldn't take more money in any trade. So Moody + Kuminga + picks for Markannen works in the machine, but we could no longer do under the hard cap.
$7.3 million is way less than how much Hield made last season ($19.9 million). So Hield is going to take a big paycut to play with the Warriors.
One dimensional players are fungible assets.
There are probably ten, 15 guys in the G-league and NBA who are close, if imperfect, substitutes for Hield.
And, seriously, his defense is bad. I watched Sac a lot when he came into the league. Guys would drive right by him about 3 feet away, and he'd just have this confused look on his face. No thought of a hedge, or a swipe-down, or, you know, move your feet.
sold! let’s get this guy!
Now do Klay’s salary this season v. last season.
So... you're saying aging one dimensional shooters are still sorta valuable, but not really?
Surely his agent already told him that no team will pay him that sum anymore, which is accurate since he’s a 6th man, bench sharpshooter nowadays
We're actually going to land the "Big like Klay, Shoots like Steph" man himself.
Yeah if this Buddy Hield trade goes through I’m even more positive the big fish trade would follow it within the hours. Ain’t no way we’re keeping that many little dudes around who are all rotation worthy players
Good point. Esp after Mike admitted that we needed more size recently.