Lakers already in mid-season form.

[AusPel]

I give Orlando a huge chance of winning tonight

[LAL1947]

AD never said good bye to his fans in NOLA. That bridge has been burned and they will never reunite. Plus... Keep him and give us a top 5 pick in a loaded draft.

Well, Lebron never said bye to his fans in Cleveland either. That bridge looked burned too but it worked out really well when he returned. Cleveland won their first title and it might even have ended in a repeat or three-peat had GSW not chickened out and got Kevin Durant. This Pelicans team with AD added to it would be the best roster in the league and much stronger than those Cleveland teams.

That potential top 5 pick could end up being a low lottery pick if Lakers make trades before the deadline. Or you could have AD now and a really good opportunity of winning in the here and now.

[PELICANSFAN]

AD would never be welcomed back with the way he treated the fans and tanked our season. Still a very good player, but would not be a fit with the culture we have now.

[neworleanshoo]

Literally no Pels fans would want AD back under any circumstances.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

Well, Lebron never said bye to his fans in Cleveland either. That bridge looked burned too but it worked out really well when he returned. Cleveland won their first title and it might even have ended in a repeat or three-peat had GSW not chickened out and got Kevin Durant. This Pelicans team with AD added to it would be the best roster in the league and much stronger than those Cleveland teams.

That potential top 5 pick could end up being a low lottery pick if Lakers make trades before the deadline. Or you could have AD now and a really good opportunity of winning in the here and now.

Great idea.
This team would have BI and AD.
Mr and Mrs Glass.

[pelafanatic]

I give Orlando a huge chance of winning tonight

Magic are 3.5 point favorites

[djrnno]

Sorry but when it comes to AD "That's All Folks"

[DroopyDawg]

I give Orlando a huge chance of winning tonight

So does Vegas.. they're a 3 point fav.

[13 - 3]

[JJackisangry]

Yeah AD needs to stay where he?s at. I honestly hold no grudge at all because if he hadn?t done what he did we would have kept him against his wishes and things would have turned very sour regardless. Having said that, he has been a massive tit and the bridge is burned beyond repair. The trade has been a win for both sides. We have a stupidly stacked roster with assets and another potential high lottery pick coming in and the Lakers won their title. Leave the past in the past.

[Upper Decker]

Well, Lebron never said bye to his fans in Cleveland either. That bridge looked burned too but it worked out really well when he returned. Cleveland won their first title and it might even have ended in a repeat or three-peat had GSW not chickened out and got Kevin Durant. This Pelicans team with AD added to it would be the best roster in the league and much stronger than those Cleveland teams.

That potential top 5 pick could end up being a low lottery pick if Lakers make trades before the deadline. Or you could have AD now and a really good opportunity of winning in the here and now.

Lebron is beloved in Ohio because he's from Akron. AD's connection to NOLA isn't even close to Lebron's connection to Cleveland. That is a terrible analogy.

Your screen name is LAL1947. Are you a LA Laker fan?

[Pelicanidae]

Lebron is beloved in Ohio because he's from Akron. AD's connection to NOLA isn't even close to Lebron's connection to Cleveland. That is a terrible analogy.

Your screen name is LAL1947. Are you a LA Laker fan?

Allow me to quote him:

Hey y'all! Lakers fan here

[Upper Decker]

Allow me to quote him:

Ah ha! Missed that. Apologies.

If I were I Laker fan, I'd be trying to pawn AD off on somebody else too!

[RobertM320]

Yeah AD needs to stay where he?s at. I honestly hold no grudge at all because if he hadn?t done what he did we would have kept him against his wishes and things would have turned very sour regardless. Having said that, he has been a massive tit and the bridge is burned beyond repair. The trade has been a win for both sides. We have a stupidly stacked roster with assets and another potential high lottery pick coming in and the Lakers won their title. Leave the past in the past.

You said the trade has been a win for both sides. That's only because the Lakers got a bubble chip. If we win a chip and go to a second conference final in the next 5 seasons, and they spend the next five years in the lottery and play-in wilderness, would there be any question who got the better of the trade? Put it another way: suppose the Lakers had lost in the finals of the bubble chip. Would you still say the trade was a win for both teams?

[JJackisangry]

You said the trade has been a win for both sides. That's only because the Lakers got a bubble chip. If we win a chip and go to a second conference final in the next 5 seasons, and they spend the next five years in the lottery and play-in wilderness, would there be any question who got the better of the trade? Put it another way: suppose the Lakers had lost in the finals of the bubble chip. Would you still say the trade was a win for both teams?

Yes. The Lakers would never win a chip if we didn’t part ways with AD. Lebron leaves and they end up running the franchise into the ground per usual. That ship is always worth it. They knew they were on borrowed time.

[Upper Decker]

I hate the Lakers as much as the next guy, but the only outcomes of the trade are:
1. Lakers won the trade; or
2. Both teams won the trade.

The Lakers got AD and immediately won a championship. Feel free to minimize their championship all you want. Call it a Mickey Mouse Ring or a Bubbble Chip or whatever. They got a ring and that's that.

HOWEVER, which path would I want?
Path A: Win a championship in a bubble with no fans and no parade. Then go on to suck with big expectations.
Path B: The path the Pels are on.

Gimme Path B all day.

[Pelicanidae]

I hate the Lakers as much as the next guy, but the only outcomes of the trade are:
1. Lakers won the trade; or
2. Both teams won the trade.

The Lakers got AD and immediately won a championship. Feel free to minimize their championship all you want. Call it a Mickey Mouse Ring or a Bubbble Chip or whatever. They got a ring and that's that.

HOWEVER, which path would I want?
Path A: Win a championship in a bubble with no fans and no parade. Then go on to suck with big expectations.
Path B: The path the Pels are on.

Gimme Path B all day.

That's my opinion. Lakers sold nearly the entirety of the 2020s in exchange for a ring - they got the ring. Good for them.

We got rid of the guy who demanded out in order to try and own the 2020s. Right now, we're on a good path towards that and the future looks exceptionally bright. I'm very pleased with where we are right now.

[Upper Decker]

That's my opinion. Lakers sold nearly the entirety of the 2020s in exchange for a ring - they got the ring. Good for them.

We got rid of the guy who demanded out in order to try and own the 2020s. Right now, we're on a good path towards that and the future looks exceptionally bright. I'm very pleased with where we are right now.

The Lakers truly thought AD would both give them a championship and be the bridge from the LeBron era into the next era. "The Next Great Laker" or some such nonsense. I guess it could happen, but even the most ardent Laker supporter would admit that is highly unlikely.

[pelafanatic]

That's my opinion. Lakers sold nearly the entirety of the 2020s in exchange for a ring - they got the ring. Good for them.

We got rid of the guy who demanded out in order to try and own the 2020s. Right now, we're on a good path towards that and the future looks exceptionally bright. I'm very pleased with where we are right now.

They got the ring and none of their fans got to be there to appreciate it. Wonderful outcome for Pels fans. Nice ring for the Lakers organization though

[RobertM320]

Yes. The Lakers would never win a chip if we didn’t part ways with AD. Lebron leaves and they end up running the franchise into the ground per usual. That ship is always worth it. They knew they were on borrowed time.

What I said was, suppose they DIDNT win that chip in 2020. Would you still consider the trade a win win?

[JJackisangry]

What I said was, suppose they DIDNT win that chip in 2020. Would you still consider the trade a win win?

This is irrelevant because they won. No what ifs. They won. It is fact. Therefore both teams won the trade. I’m not going to psychoanalyze a scenario that didn’t happen.

[As I See It]

Yes. The Lakers would never win a chip if we didn’t part ways with AD. Lebron leaves and they end up running the franchise into the ground per usual. That ship is always worth it. They knew they were on borrowed time.

Mortgaging your future for a sterile championship (no fans), a Hall of Famer who runs your team, and for a part time, injury prone all star

vs.

What some say might be the Team of the Decade and who owns rights to all your prime draft picks for the foreseeable future?

I'll take the latter, everyday of the week.

[RobertM320]

Mortgaging your future for a sterile championship (no fans), a Hall of Famer who runs your team, and for a part time, injury prone all star

vs.

What some say might be the Team of the Decade and who owns rights to all your prime draft picks for the foreseeable future?

I'll take the latter, everyday of the week.

THIS

[luckyman]

I hate the Lakers as much as the next guy, but the only outcomes of the trade are:
1. Lakers won the trade; or
2. Both teams won the trade.

The Lakers got AD and immediately won a championship. Feel free to minimize their championship all you want. Call it a Mickey Mouse Ring or a Bubbble Chip or whatever. They got a ring and that's that.

HOWEVER, which path would I want?
Path A: Win a championship in a bubble with no fans and no parade. Then go on to suck with big expectations.
Path B: The path the Pels are on.

Gimme Path B all day.

There is a massive caveat people seem to want to ignore out of convenience. We are talking about the Lakers here.

If this was the Charlotte Hornets, or even the Clippers, we could stop now and call it a win/win at minimum.

But it's the Lakers. Them winning a bubble title, then get booted out of the 1st round, then fail to even make the playoffs after that is a definite L for that franchise. They did not make that trade just for one covid laced asterik *title.

At this point in time, the Pelicans are winning that trade.

[PaKwAn]

Why are they suddenly winning games now -_-