So what did we learn in this series?

seemed like a lot of guys lost heart. meyers and CJ only one who had fire. maybe the good players got sick of our shitty journalists bashing them every chance they got. i dont know. all i know is start of the year team was united and really fun to watch, then they lost that.

 

Testify! Specifically a big PG who is a very good defender, and ideally can hit outside shots. Late-career Jason Kidd would be ideal. Trouble is, those are hard to find. If only [prepares to troll certain xenophobic posters] Dimitris Diamantidis got the late-career urge to try the NBA, like Prigioni did. I also really like Spencer Dinwiddie of Detroit, but sadly so do the Pistons, and he's locked into a 3 year contract.

 

I think we learned that Neil Olshay is a damn fine evaluator of young talent.

 

For the first time ever, I'm beginning to think we should package Lopez and Batum for Hibbert, while his stock is down.

Somebody talk me down!

 

I get where you're coming from, but I saw good defense formatters after the ASG this year. What really improved between last year and this year, and then again over the course of this year is his box-out technique. He really learned from games in January where he wasn't boxing out... he's got every center and power forward on our team coaching him HARD, and he's taking it all to heart.

This series featured Leonard against Gasol, and Memphis decided to try and exploit Leonard ("He fouls a lot, and who knows how he'll defend a good post player like Gasol?") whenever he was in, but Meyers held his own well, and played Gasol a lot better than Rolo did.

This is why I think Leonard is going to end up being a center in the end, because he's going to be defending the slower players on the floor. He didn't do great guarding Jeff Green in their tiny lineup in Game 5, but he has faster footwork than traditional centers, and can stay behind them well.

Think about this scenario, which works against 80% of NBA teams:

The opposing center is a big galoot who boxes out and rebounds, but isn't exactly graceful on offense. He has a midrange jumper out to 15 feet but primarily boxes out and grabs offensive rebound garbage points. He's in the game to clog the lane and prevent guards from getting into the key. He goes up against Meyers, who promptly hits a couple of open threes. Now he has to leave the key or make the PF guard him while he guards our PF, who can drive around slow goons like him.

On the opposite end, he's got this buff kid pounding him on defense, and boxing out like it's his job on the line. The kid is roughing him up a bit, getting into his head. He's getting angry and starts thinking more about pulping this Adonis rather than boxing out. He starts calling for the ball to show this kid some manners, but because he's not really a post player, he's outmatched and can't move the kid. He hooks a couple of bricks and is successfully boxed out by good one-on-one defense.

Meyers ends up with 14 points and 12 rebounds. We win the game by 8.

 

I learned that next season our starters won't have to play huge minutes to win games and also learned to stop hesitating or over thinking the ignore button function here as well as a few new cuss words in Mandarin

 

Batum+RoLo for Hibbert+S. Hill!

 

It would nice to see LA only having to play ~32 a night instead of like 38-40.

 

Yes it would.

 

Eh, I would think we could do better than Hibbert for that hefty price. Plus that would mean that you have to re-sign Rolo.

 

I think Wrights little brother might fit the bill, with CJ and Leonard off the bench too it's not like we need a lot of outside shooting, but playmaking and Defense.

 

Like BDSF alluded: we'd also need a SF back.

 

He's certainly looking better. But he still passed on: Draymond Green and Khris Middleton for Meyers and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dennis Schroeder and Rudy Gobert for CJ.

He could certainly have done a lot WORSE, though - the 2012 draft in particular was packed with stinkers...

 

No. If you want Hibbert, you wait for Philly to waive him after they've absorbed his contract from Indy in return for a couple of first rounders.

 

I've been waiting to see if any of our young bucks would work out. I was hoping two would, and I learned in this series that two have. Thankfully, Stotts has realized this as well.

 

...That fans are fickle.

Wait, I already knew that.