So Zo will not play tonight. Calf strain. Damn. About to see what Kuzma is really made of without Zo finding him so much of the time.
Yeah, I was hoping to see Ball in the final but I think they will do fine. In the last 3 games Blue/Caruso/Kuzma have put up 12/9/9 assist respectively. Also when Ball didn't play against SAC Caruso posted 9 assists. Lookin forward to the game tonight.
LeBron James frustrated, concerned with Cavs' offseason efforts Jeff Zillgitt , USA TODAY Sports LeBron James, the NBA’s most powerful player and biggest star who brought the Cleveland Cavaliers their first NBA championship, is concerned about the Cavaliers’ offseason, a person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports. Expecting an aggressive offseason approach that would close the gap on the champion Golden State Warriors, James soon found his anticipation and optimism diminished after Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert dismantled the front office, declining days before the draft and free agency to bring back general manager David Griffin and vice president of basketball operations Trent Redden. Gilbert’s decision left the Cavs without the franchise’s top two front-office execs at a critical time, and it left James frustrated and concerned about the team’s ability to put together a roster that can better compete with Golden State, the person with direct knowledge of James’ thinking told USA TODAY Sports. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. James can become a free agent following the 2017-18 season, and it doesn’t take a wild imagination to see him elsewhere – especially if he feels there’s a better opportunity for him to win a championship with another team. The Lakers are mentioned as a possibility with James recruiting another star to join a young and talented core for the 2018-19 season. Further exacerbating James’ frustration is the Cavs were close to making a deal for then-Chicago Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler the day Gilbert decided to mutually part ways with Griffin and Redden, two people familiar with negotiations told USA TODAY Sports. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the negotiations. As the Cavs try to regain the throne and with one season left before James can become a free agent next July, it’s clear that franchise-altering consequences are at stake. Powering this speculation about James and his future is Gilbert’s handling of the front office. Other team executives and agents are asking: What’s going on with the Cavs? In between the Cavs ousting their top two front-office guys, the New York Knicks fired Phil Jackson and promoted Steve Mills to president and hired Scott Perry as general manager. The Orlando Magic snatched Jeff Weltman from Toronto and John Hammond from Milwaukee to lead their front office. Meanwhile, the Cavs also missed out on bringing Chauncey Billups in to run the front office. When Gilbert announced Griffin would not be back with the team, he said in a statement, “We are confident our current front office will continue to aggressively explore and pursue opportunities to improve our team in the weeks ahead.” According to a person familiar with the Cavs’ front office, Gilbert is continuing the process of evaluating the leadership roles, structure and potential candidates. He feels the current group in the room has been impressive and done a very good job in the short term as they have continued to take important steps to position the team for success. That group will continue to focus on that and Gilbert is confident this process will result in creating the strong leadership the team needs and expects, the person told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. The person was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue and requested anonymity. And Gilbert is paying, too — nearly $210 million in salaries and luxury taxes for the 2017-18 season. James’ frustration with the Griffin situation didn’t end there. Other teams loaded up. The Warriors retooled with Kevin Durant re-signing for less money than he could have and Steph Curry re-signing for a max deal. They retained Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston and added shooters Nick Young and Omri Casspi. The Warriors are maybe deeper and better than they were last season. It should be noted that the Warriors gave general manager Bob Myers an extension and promotion after losing to the Cavs in the 2016 Finals. That should’ve been the time the Cavs rewarded Griffin for winning a championship – a contrast in how the franchises are run. The Houston Rockets acquired Chris Paul. The Boston Celtics got Gordon Hayward. The Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Butler and signed Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford in free agency. The Crawford signing stung. The Cavs were in the running for the three-time Sixth Man of the Year. But the Cavs offered just the minimum salary ($2.3 million a season) when they had the taxpayer midlevel ($5.19 million per season) available. James was active in recruiting Crawford, and Crawford appreciated James’ efforts to get him to Cleveland. James did his part. But the Timberwolves offered $4.45 million a season. Instead, the Cavs gave part of the taxpayer midlevel exception to Turkish big man Cedi Osman, who is unlikely to make an impact in 2017-18. The Cavs also re-signed Kyle Korver and signed Jose Calderon and Jeff Green during free agency. Did those moves put Cleveland closer to Golden State? At 32, James wants to win now. Given Cleveland’s salary cap situation which prevents it from unlimited spending, James is realistic about what’s possible and what’s not, and that’s why he wonders why the Cavs went into a critical period without veteran front-office execs in place to execute complicated moves. Both Griffin and Redden will have front-office jobs when the right opportunity presents itself. James, who was not consulted about the Griffin decision, had appreciated what Griffin did to put Cleveland in position to reach the Finals and compete for championships in three consecutive seasons and James said so on Twitter the night Griffin was told he wouldn’t be back. “If no one appreciated you Griff I did, and hopefully all the people of Cleveland! Thanks for what u did for the team for 3 yrs! We got us 1 (trophy emoji),” James tweeted. James enjoys living in the moment, and 2017-18 is his focus. But is Gilbert doing what’s necessary to build a team that can beat the Golden State Warriors and win another title? The answer to that question will have a long-term impact on the Cavaliers.
Yeah oh well sucks to live in Cleveland and as a Buckeye I know They had their chance They got a ring They shoulda/coulda upgraded when the Warriors did Love shoulda/coulda stepped up Oh well. Now LeBoner wants to see other green grass? If I lived in Ohio I'd call him a mercenary hypocrite In LA well... not without another key piece but I'll remain open
Kuzma having a hell of a game, 27 points Might be in line for the MVP of the Vegas summer league if LAL can hold on Caruso needs to do something scoring wise, LAL just riding Kuz/Blue/Thomas Damn, Wear fucked his hand up Uh, Wear right back for 3
Ooooooo Kuzma with the buzzer beater at the end of the 3rd for 30 points He shot that shit like a star Good thing Randle ate his Wheaties this off-season..but Nance, Nance may have to steal some back up center minutes from Zu or something Kuzma is earning Oh damn..I missed Zo being named Vegas summer league MVP
As always with great Lakers, the hate will be off-set by all the LAL fan love. He landed with the right team to fight the haters for sure As soon as some of these D'angelo/ice in the veins guys within the fan base convert to Ballism, it's on, brodie Lol
Impressive summer league for LAL No serious injuries Wish I could've seen more of Hart tho Ingram too Magic and Pelinka courtside, like what they see Zo, LVSL MVP Kuzma, championship game MVP
I really liked what I saw this summer. Ball makes guys better. Kuzma looks like the real deal. He's gonna get some serious run if he keeps hitting the 3.
its just summer league but getting the ship wout lonzo was awesome these guys like each other and can't wait to see how it translates to the big squad hard not to be excited about this influx of energy and the guys we have could be a really fun the next few years w the right guys added
Yeah, I wanted to see what Kuzma had without Zo feeding him and dude didn't disappoint. Nance has his work cut out for him, fighting Kuzma off. Maybe not initially, but who knows..they may try to keep Kuzma's confidence rolling instead of burying him on the bench because he definitely plays the way they want to play at that big forward spot. The numbers game tho..it's gonna be a tight squeeze for minutes. Don't wanna see them take minutes away from Zubac, he's already gonna see his minutes tapered some because of Lopez. They have to find minutes..maybe they can find some minutes for Kuzma @ SF behind BI? Which would squeeze Deng's minutes and probably solidify him never regaining enough value to trade..which would maybe mean LAL just hits Deng with the stretch provision and waives him? But if they're not going to find minutes for Kuzma they may as well send him to the G-league so he can play
Just go big. PG: Ball, Clarkson, Ennis SG: Pope, Hart, Blue SF: Ingram, Kuzma, Dozier PF: Randle, Nance, Robinson C : Lopez, Zubac, Bryant Have Ingram get a lot of minutes at SG to keep the rotation tight. Allows some extra run at SF for Kuzma/Nance with a big lineup. Then at some point upgrade at SG with a vet like Paul George. Then upgrade SF and have the like of Randle and Pope as backups.
