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     Saarang Kurra Bewarse Username: Saarang Post Number: 1201 Registered: 04-2015 Posted From: 66.25.5.81 Rating: N/A |
Zach Lowe on Lakers situation and Kawhi trades http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23997175/zach-lowe-kawhi-leonard-san-antonio- spurs-lebron-james-los-angeles-lakers-nba But LeBron is a Laker, and he is not pressuring L.A. to acquire a second star now, per sources familiar with his thinking. His decision to come alone for three guaranteed seasons speaks for itself. He knows Ingram has at least borderline All-Star potential, and that the 2019 free-agency class is loaded beyond Leonard. He has faith in the combined powers of his supernova talent and the Lakers brand. It's tempting to scoff at the idea that Ingram should be the holdup in acquiring an MVP candidate who just turned 27. The Lakers should happily flip anyone else, including Kuzma, who is probably overvalued at almost 23 and coming off a sort of hoggy rookie season in which he played minimal defense. (To be clear: Kuzma is solid -- a nice shooter to have around LeBron, with tippy-tap footwork that suggests he could be a decent and versatile defender if forced. He also may profile as a nice backup long-term.) But every team needs sustainability, and Ingram has a chance to be really, really good -- a perfect fit alongside LeBron. He entered the league with nice playmaking feel, and built atop that in important ways last season. Ingram hit 39 percent from deep, got to the rim much more often, and drew about five free throws per 36 minutes -- a tidy number for a string bean kiddo. If anything, the Lakers overextended Ingram. He'll thrive as a secondary ball handler next to LeBron, rocketing off screens on the wing, catching passes, and zooming right into a pick-and-roll with a head start. He's a savvy cutter on the baseline and in skulking around the 3-point arc. The Lakers missed him a lot. LeBron won't. The Lakers have the power, for now, to draw the line at Ingram if they want. They have the leverage of Leonard's peculiar situation, LeBron's commitment, and the depth of the 2019 free-agency class. Without such leverage, the scoffing at Ingram as deal-breaker would be justified. Right now, it's not. Ingram is that good, and the Leonard situation is that funky. He sees one pass ahead, and has the patience to get defenders on his hip while he reads the floor. He even developed a handy step-back midranger for such tight predicaments: |