>Yeah, I think if they tried to see if Indiana would take two
>firsts with, like, top 5 protection, it'd be worth it for
>Hield and Turner, personally. I think they'd be big difference
>makers. I know others disagree, but I'm very high on the
>upside that adding them would provide, both in terms of talent
>and fit.

Yea I was always hoping that would be the deal the Lakers would make for Russ this summer. Both give Lakers precisely what they need: wing talent/size/length & shooting - and both Hield and Turner operate at high levels within their respective roles. They would be real difference makers IMO.

Also - if there's still a push to land Kyrie (which I think there should be if it's true that he really wants to come to LA) - you can always take a shot at him in FA. Lakers also have some young assets right now as well that I think will be attractive in packaged deals to teams on the hard reset rebuild.

>I actually wouldn't be surprised at all if this was Russ's
>last year in the league. Melo was out of the league until he
>convinced people he could play a role... but Melo still has
>that mid-range, jump-shooting game that's translatable in a
>role. I don't know what Russ does in a role that translates to
>wins unless he fully commits to being an off-the-bench burner
>who also actually tries on defense. Because you can never play
>Russ off ball. I know that was the concern about Melo too...
>but it's *such* a bigger concern about Russ, lol.

Yea - Russ' game is aging horribly as his elitism was predicated almost entirely off his athleticism and physicality. He only marginally ever improved his shooting over the course of his career - and never shot at a high level to begin with.

I do think Russ genuinely loves being out there and playing, even when things aren't going well for him. So there's impetus for him to really refine his game and find his role-playing niche. To me, he's best equipped to come off the bench or play 1st & 2nd quarters; but he's got to prove that he helps you win in clutch moments (whereas last year he was an absolute liability in winning time).

>I'm a huge believer in the Bev fit with this squad. Easily
>their best signing of the offseason.

It's just experimental pre-season, but I like what the Lakers are doing with Bev and Nunn already. Bev could be this year's 2020 Dwight year for the Lakers (where Dwight was a real difference-maker and energy boost; legit was a key piece of that title team).


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