NBA 2019 Offseason Thread | Greatest Clownshow On Earth

The biggest question surrounding Porter Jr. is his health. Weeks after the Nuggets pounced on Porter Jr. with the No. 14 pick, he underwent a second back surgery in eight months. The first was a microdiscectomy while at Missouri; the second was on his lumbar spine last July.


The Nuggets never planned on him playing this past season but his return to competitive basketball was further hampered after he developed drop foot, according to league sources, which was a symptom of his back surgeries. With drop foot, it’s difficult to lift the front part of one’s foot, causing it to drag. It’s sometimes a result of a herniated disk – and thus a pinched nerve – in one’s lower back.

By reilo Go To PostPapagiannis and Ntilikina had Youtube mixtapes?

By DY_nasty Go To Post

https://twitter.com/1116sen/status/1132952228786917376

ayyyy never laust

By unknown Go To PostNuggets should have picked up melo.

By unknown Go To PostNuggets should have picked up melo.

By unknown Go To PostNuggets should have picked up melo.

By s y Go To Posthow is syphon so effective after all these years?

By diehard Go To PostCJ trying too hard on Twitter. Skip Bayless got another one.

By Pac-12 Go To PostIsn't Jr a bit too young to have Green out there kicking him in the nuts?

By Uncle Dennis Go To Postcharacter is built through hardship

By Pac-12 Go To PostIsn't Jr a bit too young to have Green out there kicking him in the nuts?

According to nearly two dozen current and former team staffers, ranging from occupants of executive suites to office cubicles, in addition to league sources and others close to the team, the Lakers under Johnson and Pelinka were fraught with dysfunction, on and off the court. These sources, who feared reprisal and weren't authorized to speak publicly, describe Pelinka and Johnson as managers who made unilateral free-agent acquisitions; triggered a spate of tampering investigations and fines; berated staffers, including Walton; and created an in-house culture that many current and former longtime staffers said marginalized their colleagues, inspired fear and led to feelings of anxiety severe enough that at least two staffers suffered panic attacks.

The spate of changes increased the workloads for several staff members – and in one instance in 2017, a longtime female staffer was called into an office with Johnson and Pelinka after making a mistake, according to multiple staffers present and others familiar with the incident. The mistake, sources said, involved arranging a car service to the team's facility for a draft prospect.

"I don't stand for mistakes!" Johnson shouted at her. "I don't make mistakes."

Johnson also made clear, according to multiple people familiar with the exchange, that if the staffer made one more mistake, she would be fired.

"I don't stand for mistakes!" Johnson shouted at her. "I don't make mistakes."

After Walton's departure, the resulting head coach search, led by Pelinka, proved rocky – with the Lakers' top two candidates – Tyronn Lue and Monty Williams – turning down the job before Frank Vogel accepted. (Williams took the same position with the Phoenix Suns, and the Lakers' negotiations with Lue, who was said to be their top candidate, broke down late in the process.) Multiple staffers described the aftermath of these moves as leaving the organization in a state of "shock" and "confusion."

In November, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Maverick Carter, LeBron's longtime business partner, met for lunch. James' agent, Rich Paul, was seated at a nearby table, and at one point, approached Silver to complain about Walton, multiple sources familiar with the interaction told ESPN. Paul said he didn't believe Walton was the right coach for the Lakers. Silver shrugged off the remark and asked whom Paul thought would be the right coach. Paul suggested Tyronn Lue.

And so the perception existed among the Lakers' coaching staff that Paul sought to oust Walton. And some players also believed, according to coaching staff members and those players' agents, that Klutch Sports was working to trade them away for a superstar. Given those perceptions, one former Lakers player described Paul's presence on the team charter as a "culture killer."

By Adam Go To PostWow.

But kado, but Moris, but Fender

During the session, Pelinka quoted scripture. He compared joining the Lakers to "When Harry Met Sally." He talked about camping in Montana with Kobe Bryant. He talked about seeing a picture of a boy in a Syrian refugee camp wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey. He called Kobe Bryant a "North Star" and said Bryant's impact on the team was like sugar dissolving in coffee: "Once it's there, it's there forever."

He once called point guard Lonzo Ball "transcendent" and mentioned him alongside Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. He compared the young Lakers' potential to Taylor Swift. After signing Caldwell-Pope, Pelinka again referenced the Bible. In a news conference after signing James, Pelinka put on glasses and started reading from Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist," noting that James had read it and that Bryant had also given him a copy.

By domino Go To PostHow do you complain to the fucking commissioner about the coach. Rich and LeBron are insane.

By Smokey Go To PostLakers might be worse than the Knicks, actually

By Smokey Go To PostLakers might be worse than the Knicks, actually

By reilo Go To PostThe Lakers are run by loons 😂

Utah State center Neemias Queta announced Tuesday that he will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to school for his sophomore season.

With Wednesday being the withdrawal deadline for college players, there will be a lot of decisions being made in the next 48 hours or so. Of those who have decided to return to school thus far Queta may be the biggest name, as there were some who viewed him as a possible first-round pick prior to the NBA Draft Combine. That status was a bit shaky coming out of Chicago however, and ultimately the 6-foot-11, 226-pound center decided that another year in school was best for his pro prospects. Among the other players to withdraw their names from the draft are Dayton forward Obi Toppin and Kentucky center Nick Richards.

Georgia power forward/center Nic Claxton denied a report that he has decided to keep his name in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Claxton's decision is big news for Georgia, as coach Tom Crean is hoping to pair him with incoming freshman (and projected 2020 lottery talent) Anthony Edwards. The young power forward said via social media that he and his family will make a decision either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning, so there's still a chance of this partnership happening. Claxton played well enough at the NBA Draft Combine to be included in some first-round chatter, with the Georgia big considered to be an option for teams either late in the first round or early in the second. College players have until May 29 to withdraw their name from the draft per NCAA rules.

Harrison Barnes hasn't yet decided if he'll pick up his player option worth $25.1 million for the 2019-20 season.

There's no way Barnes would receive that kind of money on the open market, so it would be surprising to see him pass up that sort of payday. Barnes saw a drop in usage upon his arrival in Sacramento, but his efficiency went up and he put in averages of 14.3 points, 5.5 boards, 1.9 dimes and 1.9 treys per contest on 45.5% shooting during his time with the Kings.

By Smokey Go To PostLakers might be worse than the Knicks, actually

By masud Go To PostWe ain't been that bad since Isaiah/Larry Brown.

By blackace Go To PostSo the Lakers might pick Garland at 4?