The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

[pickingupcrumbs]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

An 87 rating for someone who's about 35/36 yrs old is pretty amazing. Don't know how that didn't decline as much. Moving Parker at the 2 spot seems like a good move. You could probably get MKG to get you some D at the 3 spot.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

An 87 rating for someone who's about 35/36 yrs old is pretty amazing. Don't know how that didn't decline as much. Moving Parker at the 2 spot seems like a good move. You could probably get MKG to get you some D at the 3 spot.

That is my fervent hope, to get MKG. I love his game and the pairing of him with Jabari just oozes greatness. But that's all dependent on Kobe ... if he retries, I can give that a shot. If he doesn't, another year of him and Jabari (not a bad thing, but not optimal). I hope he retires but he just doesn't look it to me.

[Liam_93]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

I can't believe this is still going. I've been off xbox for a while so I haven't had time to catch up but this is a great job man.

Maybe someone can gimme a quick catch up haha. I see Jabari and Kobe are still together.

[BraedenG33]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

That is my fervent hope, to get MKG. I love his game and the pairing of him with Jabari just oozes greatness. But that's all dependent on Kobe ... if he retries, I can give that a shot. If he doesn't, another year of him and Jabari (not a bad thing, but not optimal). I hope he retires but he just doesn't look it to me.

Just saying, and I don't know if this is possible because I don't know what the Lakers had been up to prior to you arrival, is it possible for you to use the Amnesty Clause on Kobe? He was eligible for it and if it wasn't used by Jim Buss before your arrival, then Kobe could be amnestied. Its not the 'honorable' thing to do, but it may be the smart thing to do. I would at least consider it.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

I can't believe this is still going. I've been off xbox for a while so I haven't had time to catch up but this is a great job man.

Maybe someone can gimme a quick catch up haha. I see Jabari and Kobe are still together.

Welcome back! Uh, nothing major happened Won the title, Ronnie got married, Gerard went to jail, Jim Buss lost part ownership of the team ... you know, stuff.

Just saying, and I don't know if this is possible because I don't know what the Lakers had been up to prior to you arrival, is it possible for you to use the Amnesty Clause on Kobe? He was eligible for it and if it wasn't used by Jim Buss before your arrival, then Kobe could be amnestied. Its not the 'honorable' thing to do, but it may be the smart thing to do. I would at least consider it.

Kobe's only signed for 10M. Next year, if he comes back, his cap number will be lower I suspect. He's the face of the franchise and I could very well just not re-sign him, the sign MKG ... but man, that's a hard sell for me to make. He's a Laker for life. I don't see a Pierce situation here ... Kobe helped bring them 6 rings in his time (and was named MVP this last time around of the Finals). If we suffer a horrible season, I could see it, but I'm a month in now and we're looking really good. I see a deep playoff run for us. Which makes letting Kobe go problematic.

Kobe isn't the type of person I see playing the sixth man role either. Starter or bust for him. So ... tough choices. I COULD just let him become a free agent in game, retire him in story, and let him sit in FA until he does retire. But that feels really cheap.

If Kobe doesn't retire, I'll find a way to get a second star into Lakerland. Randolph isn't that guy, he's good, but not a star. Chris Walker may develop into that a year or two from now, and I may let him, but what I'd really like to do is swing a trade for a dominant big man ... but they are tough to come across and will likely demand a bounty for. Depending on how this season shakes out, I might be able to get one before the deadline. If not, I'll def explore the possibility during the offseason.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Working on a post to get up either today or tomorrow guys. Thanks for keeping the faith.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


11-9-15

“We can’t trade him now.” The defeated sigh of J-Dog was accompanied by only a grunt from Vince. It was a late night. A long night. They’d been here for hours now and they had still come no closer to finding a decent trade for Burke. At least, not one that didn’t take up a significant amount of cap space.

The team was 6-0 and had been dominant the last four games. Jabari, Kobe, and Randolph were destroying the competition. It always happened in the third quarter too, right after halftime … they’d be down a little, maybe even up a little more, before an explosion would occur in the third. One of those three would get hot and the Lakers run them silly.

Trey Burke, however, had been struggling. A lot. His declaration of free agency interest had drawn a lot of criticism from fans but a number of former players had been on his side, saying it’s only good business sense. Ronnie partly agreed but to declare it now, with as much gusto as he did?

He was young and it had been a dumb move. But Freddie Brigs had told him to stick to his guns. Trey refused to sit down with Ronnie and discuss the situation.

“Boss, maybe we should take a look at upgrading from Burke. He’s not that great.”

“He stays out of the way. Who else does that anymore?” J-Dog shot him an eye roll. “I mean, Ron-Ron, we got to dump him on someone who likes him.”

“Like who?” Ronnie tossed the newspaper in his lap onto the table. “Guys, there aren’t a lot of teams out there in need of a young point man.”

“The Spurs could use one.” J-Dog leaned forward and dropped his shades a little. “Burke for Oldaipo. Kids buried on the bench. Get him here, he can be a guy for our future.”

“And what about Lamb? Where do we send him? Package him with Burke? What do we get back there, guys?” Ronnie shook his head. “We need a point guard. We can’t play Calderon extended minutes, not at this point in his career. We need one who plays with us, doesn’t demand the ball, and knows his place.”

“Like I said, upgrade, Boss.” Vince scribbled some names on a piece of paper, slid it over to Ronnie. “Those guys would be better.”

J-Dog scoffed as he looked at the paper. “Lowry? Lin? Deron Williams? You are sick in the head. Too much brain damage from your momma slapping you around so much.”

Vince ignored him, but a vein pulsated in his head. “Look, a legit point man makes our lives easier. Even if we have to pay extra.”

“Kobe and Jabari initiate the offense a lot.” They were both pretty decent at it too. Neither was a point guard, but both made the necessary passes. Ronnie leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure where to go.”

“What about leveraging Burke with someone else? We could upgrade from Bogut. Hell, even Randolph if the right offer came along.” J-Dog reached for his coffee, took a sip, and made a face. “Damn, that’s cold.”

Ronnie rubbed the back of his neck. He was waiting for a big name to float in the rumors. If they could eject Burke and their draft pick for this year in one trade, he’d be fine with that. “Randolph has fit really well in with the team. I’d hate to trade him unless whomever we got back was a clear upgrade.”

Against the Suns, Kings, and Cavs, Randolph had been money. He showed up big in those games and was a huge reason why the team was undefeated at the moment.

“Well … there’s always Noel.” J-Dog slid his shades down, eyes glimmering with mischief. “You drafted him. Kid likes you. He’s stuck on a loser in Charlotte.”


“A loser we play next,” Vince reminded everyone in the room. “And who happens to be 3-1 and off to a good start.”

Ronnie sighed. “Getting Noel makes no sense for them. They have Harrow—”

“Whom they don’t love or even really like,” J-Dog countered.

“—and they drafted a potential replacement in Cook for him,” Ronnie finished. “Jordan would never take that trade.”

“And what about Riley? The Heat are looking shaking.” J-Dog leaned back in his chair. “They got Chalmers, Wade and LeBron are another year older, and Gortat looks like a free agent bust for them. I’d be willing to bet Riley would love to talk to us about getting rid of Chalmers, bringing in Burke, and maybe giving us Tyrus Jones. Kid looks good.”

Vince looked at him for a moment before nodding. “I actually agree with the mutt.”

“I’m touched.”

“Don’t.”

Ronnie smirked at the two of them. Riley was a decent idea. “I’ll make some calls. You two keep your ears to the ground, seen how things are looking with Griffin and the Clippers.”

“The Blake Show! Nice.” J-Dog rubbed his hands together. “Got to love the kid, he’s gold.”

Vince grunted in affirmation.

Ronnie stood, stretched, and proceeded to leave. “I got a dinner with my wife,” he said over his shoulder, a smile on his face. He loved saying that. “See you two in the morning.”

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

I'll be getting back to this during the weekend likely, folks. Thanks for following and keeping the faith.

[pickingupcrumbs]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

You're getting a trade with the Heat again? Well I'm ecited to see how this plays out, but I'm a tad bit skeptical about this. But you're always making good decisions here, so it's probably good.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

You're getting a trade with the Heat again? Well I'm ecited to see how this plays out, but I'm a tad bit skeptical about this. But you're always making good decisions here, so it's probably good.

^Maybe, maybe. The Heat's season is playing out very interestingly. There are other teams (including the Spurs) who I might be able to trade with. Burke is def going before the deadline, but as to where and for what is another question entirely. I got my three guys on offense already with AR15 (Anthony Randolph FTW) Kobe, and Jarbari Parker (Spider-Man). Burke wants more, I can't give it to him, and I need someone who'll want to win but play within the team concept.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Rapid Reaction: Lakers 107, Bulls 90
By Rachel Hansen|ESPNLosAngeles.com
December 11, 2015

CHICAGO -- The Lakers (16-4) hit the road to meet the Bulls (12-7) in a conference matchup between the top two teams. The Bulls currently sit atop the Eastern Conference, just as the Lakers sit atop the Western Conference. Both teams came into the game different than they were this time last year.

Last year, the Lakers were a slower team that focused on the defense. This year they’ve been playing more up-tempo and have allowed Jabari Parker to have some free reign on the floor.

Last year, the Bulls were struggling to find some offense to help out Derrick Rose. This year the additions of O.J. Mayo and the depth added in the bench have been huge in getting the Bulls some much needed help for Rose.

In this game, however, the Lakers offense was able to trump the Bulls defense. The first quarter was a blow out as the Lakers went on a big run, fueled by Trey Burke. Burke hit three deep balls for the Lakers, giving him all nine of his points for the game in that quarter, and helping the Lakers throttle the Bulls from deep.

The second quarter was slower paced, mostly due to Jabari Parker struggling for the large majority of it. Parker wasn’t able to get his shots to fall but he did stick with it, kept taking good shots, and got hot the last three minutes of the quarter, scoring 11 points in that time span and finishing the half with 16 points overall.

The Bulls were down 56-42 at the half. But the third quarter would bring them a change of fortunes, as they were able to get open looks and fluster the Lakers on the inside. The Lakers got into foul trouble and that trouble led the Bulls to closing the lead to five with two minutes to go in the quarter.

Enter Kobe Bryant, who had only scored 11 points so far in the game. Kobe lit up the Bulls for those last two minutes, helping stretch the lead to 10 points at the beginning of the fourth. The Bulls would never close the lead to less than seven for the rest of the night.

Kobe finished with 22 points, five boards, and four assists. Parker had 26 points, four boards, and three assists. Anthony Randolph finished with 14 points and 10 boards while Bogut outplayed Noah, finishing with 12 points and 11 boards.

Derrick Rose scored 17 points, dished out seven dimes, and got four steals, while Mayo finished with 21 points, going 3-of-5 from deep.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Jabari Returns

“It’s great to be back here,” said Chicago-kid Jabari Parker after the game. “It’s better because we won.” Parker, a native Chicago son, played well in his return home this season. He was a bit cold in the first half but managed to put together a good game in the second.

“He just catches fire,” said veteran Kobe Bryant. “Kid tries, and tries, and then when he gets it he really gets it.”

Big Man Bogut

Andrew Bogut has received some criticism of late with the way he’s been playing. Bogut hasn’t scored in the double-digits much lately and fans are getting a bit anxious about his perceived decline. For Bogut, the fears are unjustified.

“I’m playing within the system, taking my time,” said Bogut after the game. “I’m not going to force things. I’m there to lockdown the paint, make people sweat, and get those boards. That’s my job and I’m good with that … let Anthony [Randolph] score the points. He’s better at it.”

Looking Ahead …

The Lakers fly immediately from Chicago to Miami for tomorrow night’s game, playing a back to back that’s going to prove a challenge. Miami (9-11) have had a slow start to the season thanks to Dwayne Wade being banged up. Rumors swirl that the Lakers may be looking to the Heat as a potential trade partner for Trey Burke, who is playing the best basketball of his career right now. With big ticket players like Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard all out there as well as potential trade targets, this looks to be a busy in-season trading time this year and the Lakers could be the lynchpin of it all.

[FlamingFlamingo]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

So happy to come back to 19 pages of this! I love coming back to this each and everyday!

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Okay guys, I'll try and get to this during the weekend, but no guarantees. Moving into a new house, (but before that doing some improvements) so my time is gonna be sucked up by that. But stay tuned. BIG shakeup coming for the NBA as some high-profile trades are going down.

The Lakers may, or may not, be involved

Thanks for keeping the faith, folks.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

UPDATE:

New house has been fixed up and we close on Friday. Probably won't be getting to this this weekend either as we'll be in the process of moving, but the weekend after next looks good (but I may have a new job by then).

Keep the coals warm, fellas, cause this will get hot again soon. Thanks for keeping the faith.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

UPDATE:

Next weekend we finally get into the new house. I got my new job, but I shouldn't be working then (I hope). I expect to have updates out next weekend or earlier next week. Sorry for the delay, thanks for keeping the faith folks.