NJ Paper: RJ to Lakers a real possibility

kray28 · by **kray28** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:02 am

lotus wrote:RJ is a bit overratered as far as I'm concerned. Though he has more heart than Luke, who doesn't, he's still not the tough #3 the Lakers need.

Also, if this team is getting him with the hope that Luke's play will improve, then that is truly pathetic and they are giving Luke too much consideration and power.

He can score from the three spot, and has an all-around offensive game. That's exactly what we need.

Compared to Ron-Ron, he's a considerably better scorer, but he's nowhere close to the defender that Ron-Ron is.

mapabu1 · by **mapabu1** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:04 am

If we can't get Artest then he would be my next choice. He is a proven scoring threat and while not the defender Artest is certainly better than Vlad or Luke.

kray28 · by **kray28** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:05 am

Pig Miller wrote:he puts up good numbers but i've never liked his game much.

he doesn't seem to be that go to guy we need and while i know we have kobe for that, we also need a 2nd option so kobe isn't tripled team

Who says we need a "go to" guy? We don't even need a second option here....when there is Pau and Drew.

We need a solid 2 way small forward. RJ does fit the bill, but the only thing I'd be concerned about with him is his defense and his injury history.

SignPippenNow · by **SignPippenNow** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:11 am

Has Richard Jefferson really done well on D against Paul Pierce as stated in the article? I ask because I haven't watched NJ play Boston. I have never been blown away with Jefferson against Lakers so that is why I was asking.

Pig Miller · by **Pig Miller** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:13 am

kray28 wrote:
Pig Miller wrote:he puts up good numbers but i've never liked his game much.

he doesn't seem to be that go to guy we need and while i know we have kobe for that, we also need a 2nd option so kobe isn't tripled team

Who says we need a "go to" guy? We don't even need a second option here....when there is Pau and Drew.

We need a solid 2 way small forward. RJ does fit the bill, but the only thing I'd be concerned about with him is his defense and his injury history.

i say we need a 2nd option because it's clear that gasol faded in the finals, and it's not that he missed shots, it's that he didn't play with any aggression on offense, and while drew is good, he's coming off surgery and still a kid

that's my thought process for needing a 2nd scoring threat for the stretch run of a game

kray28 · by **kray28** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:21 am

If Drew is healthy next year, he's going to take a lot of pressure off of Pau (and vice versa)....the scoring opportunities look to get even easier.

But teams are going to want to sag onto them in the paint....and right now out of the three perimeter guys they would sag off Lamar.

Put RJ in that spot and he's got wide open looks all day long.

abeer3 · by **abeer3** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:24 am

i like the idea of odom for jefferson, but i'd want more back from nj. like swapping vlad or luke for hassell.

not because hassell is good, but because his contract is a bit shorter, and the lakers are looking at some nasty payroll issues for the next few years.

SignPippenNow · by **SignPippenNow** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:24 am

With Kobe and hopefully Sasha at SG and Fisher and Farmar at PG and then Bynum and Pau inside the SF is going to get some great looks in this offense. You can count on that. All four of those guards are 3 point threats and then Bynum and Pau will force some to double down and when they do someone is going to be open. They aren't going to leave Kobe open so the PG and SF are going to get some great looks.

BadScooter · by **BadScooter** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:40 am

I wish we could steal Sean Williams from them. He hit the rookie wall pretty hard last year, but he's got tons of potential and was putting up solid numbers in limited minutes. His blocks were ridiculous.

Savory Griddles · by **Savory Griddles** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:48 am

I'd put a million dollars down that RJ would move in with Luke while looking for a house......and never move out.

Savory Griddles · by **Savory Griddles** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:53 am

abeer3 wrote:i like the idea of odom for jefferson, but i'd want more back from nj. like swapping vlad or luke for hassell.

not because hassell is good, but because his contract is a bit shorter, and the lakers are looking at some nasty payroll issues for the next few years.

Yeah. The Lakers do have some leverage. Nets are in full rebuild mode at this point and are trying to shed salary. They need to do something else other than a straight up swap of RJ and Odom. They need to throw in some other incentive because unlike years past, we don't NEED to make a move and there are other options that would work for us if Jefferson fell through. Walton for Hassel would be a a solid addition. Yes, the Nets don't drop quite as much salary off their cap, but it makes their team better now because they'd have a legit pf (in the east) and a backup sf who is better than anything they have now. They can't have it all.

John3:16 · by **John3:16** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:36 am

The Maverick wrote:If we couldn't get Artest or Marion, I'd want him.

Radner · by **Radner** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:57 am

It's speculation which means there's nothing real about it. On top of that, the Nets are trying to use RJ to get Melo.

If the Nuggets deny Melo being on the trading block, then maybe these talks will heat up.

akola · by **akola** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:59 am

Savory Griddles wrote:I'd put a million dollars down that RJ would move in with Luke while looking for a house......and never move out.

this is not the mental toughness the lakers should be looking for next season.

OCLakersFan247 · by **OCLakersFan247** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:12 am

bynum will be our second option scorer..he is going to get a ton of looks in the paint...if we get RJ we can simply spread the floor and make more room for our bigs in the middle. RJ can actually hit jumpers (hes spotty but he can catch fire) unlike odom. by having him out u force the defense to stay out wit hte shooters...defense sends a double team to kobe, he can rotate it to RJ who can easily drive it to the rack and he finishes well at the hole (THATS WAT SHE SAID!!!)

im down with RJ im just concerned about money issues that will hold htings up...artest is coo too but only if he comes for cheap...hell ill even throw in some of my annual salary 2 get him here

Savory Griddles · by **Savory Griddles** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:16 am

OCLakersFan247 wrote:bynum will be our second option scorer..he is going to get a ton of looks in the paint...if we get RJ we can simply spread the floor and make more room for our bigs in the middle. RJ can actually hit jumpers (hes spotty but he can catch fire) unlike odom. by having him out u force the defense to stay out wit hte shooters...defense sends a double team to kobe, he can rotate it to RJ who can easily drive it to the rack and he finishes well at the hole (THATS WAT SHE SAID!!!)

im down with RJ im just concerned about money issues that will hold htings up...artest is coo too but only if he comes for cheap...hell ill even throw in some of my annual salary 2 get him here

This was sorta the situation with Rondo and House last series. We KNEW Rondo wasn't going to kill us so we left him completely alone. As soon as House was in the game ( a spotty shooter who can catch fire) we had to let up on our doubles and then the Celtics took over. The threat of someone catching fire like Jefferson along with his ability to drive will be enough to keep defenses honest and not allow them to send 5 guys at Kobe everytime down the floor.

Handles101 · by **Handles101** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:25 am

I would do this deal in a heartbeat. Lamar at the 3 spot would have to be a CONSISTENT slasher, spot up shooter, good defender on the quicker small forwards. Things he cannot do and will not ever do...

Lakerzrevenge · by **Lakerzrevenge** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:26 am

I'm all for RJ!!! :jam2:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kPDuUERfLkU&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_rCMI7G48QE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bs-lkGQ78eo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1KqQWb7QDgQ&feature=related

and my favorite, he could do this for us in June :mhihi:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CiR3K9oBE78&feature=related

And for those of you who thinks he's just a dunker, he's averaged 22 PPG twice in his career, 7 RPG at one point, and 4 APG as well. He's a very real possibility!!

Lakerzrevenge · by **Lakerzrevenge** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:39 am

Radner wrote:It's speculation which means there's nothing real about it. On top of that, the Nets are trying to use RJ to get Melo.

If the Nuggets deny Melo being on the trading block, then maybe these talks will heat up.

LOL, @ Melo and VC. Alot of sportscenter highlights, and not alot of wins!! :man10:

Vincey · by **Vincey** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:43 am

Well first I'm in the boat where I want to see how Odom/Pau/Bynum work.

If Odom is gone my list goes:

Artest
Mike Miller
Jefferson

I don't see any foreseeable avenue that leads to Matrix coming here. He's a max player.. that's simply not going to work out.

If Odom comes back after next season I'm equally as certain he'll take a paycut to stay.

chug o nomics · by **chug o nomics** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:47 am

I don't want to see Lamar at the 3 at all. If anything, we'd be better if we had a 3 man rotation of Lamar/Pau/Drew at the 4 and 5 spots. Unless Lamar can hit open shots so the defender doesn't sag on him, he's not worth the trouble.

Andrew Evenstar · by **Andrew Evenstar** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:01 am

Artest & Battier first, if not then RJ would be great. I'm all for it. There is no way Odom can play the 3, if he can't even play well at the 4 in the finals. I would be okay with either trading Odom, or letting him stay for cheap to come off the bench at PF.

Vincey · by **Vincey** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:05 am

How are you guys so certain he can't play the 3? You guys crack me up.

None of us know how the chemistry will change, how the ball will move, and how the general offense flows with Andrew coming back.

Sure I am open to moving Odom, but I really don't understand how anyone is definitively saying Odom has no chance to play the 3. And there's no logic in saying "since he couldn't play the 4, he won't be able to play the 3." What the Hell?

Andrew Evenstar · by **Andrew Evenstar** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:12 am

Vincey wrote:How are you guys so certain he can't play the 3? You guys crack me up.

None of us know how the chemistry will change, how the ball will move, and how the general offense flows with Andrew coming back.

Sure I am open to moving Odom, but I really don't understand how anyone is definitively saying Odom has no chance to play the 3. And there's no logic in saying "since he couldn't play the 4, he won't be able to play the 3." What the Hell?

You look around at other 3's in the league. They are pretty good shooters or defenders, which Odom is not.

You have:

Artest
Paul Peirce
Mike Miller
Battier
RJ
Posey
Marion
Caron Butler
Carmelo

We either need a great shooter or defender at this position. You take away 1/2 of Pierce's game in the finals and we win. By inserting RJ, Artest, Battier... it probably be cheaper and more effective than Odom.

Maddocks15 · by **Maddocks15** on Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:14 am

if no artest, then RJ is good, always picked him for fantasy teams because he was always constant.

NJ Paper: RJ to Lakers a real possibility

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