[christebasParticipant]

Now that the big 3 plus mello is setteled and almost all the top tier FA are signed (Hayward, Gortat, Ariza, Deng soon to Miami, Gasol, Meeks, Bradley) what happens with the one most intriging player left in no man’s land -: Lance Stephenson.

On paper he’s worth what Gordon Hayward is worth (16 mil per), yet the only offer we know he received was 5 years 44 million or close to 9 million a year – almost half of what Hayward got.

Although Lance may be the biggest bone-head in the league (outside of JR Smith), there’s no doubt he’s an incredibly talented basketball player with super-star upside.  He does everything – rebound, shoot well, he’s a great passer and a very solid defender.  And to boot, he’s ONLY 23 years old!

The only thing that’s holding him back from receiving a 11-12 million per offer is his attitude and immaturity.  He acted like a total bafoon during the Eastern Finals when the world was watching knowing he was to become an UFA.  What happens if he get guaranteed money for 4 years?  

Depite the rumors he has the potential to be a chemistry killer and his attitude can be terrible at times, someone’s gotta take a chance on this guy.  Who steps up and gives Lance 4/50?  Dallas seems like a natural fit, but is marc cuban reluctant to take the chance.  The Hornets are the other team that seems like he would fit in well with after losing out on Hayward.

Any thoughts where he ends up and for how much?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BogDon_KryptParticipant]

 The bucks.  Jabari could be a good mentor for him

[BogDon_KryptParticipant]

 The bucks.  Jabari could be a good mentor for him

[XYRYXParticipant]

I like the Bucks idea after thinking a while about it. This group would maybe one crazy mind too much with Sanders still around but a lineup of Knight/Lance/Giannis/Parker/Sanders(Henson!) would be nice balanced and should score a bunch of points while beeing good defensively. 

What I would really like to see is Lance in a Mavs jersey. A three or Four year deal with a team option for 11 mio per year should give both sides what they want and this Dallas lineup could go deeep into the playoffs! 

[XYRYXParticipant]

I like the Bucks idea after thinking a while about it. This group would maybe one crazy mind too much with Sanders still around but a lineup of Knight/Lance/Giannis/Parker/Sanders(Henson!) would be nice balanced and should score a bunch of points while beeing good defensively. 

What I would really like to see is Lance in a Mavs jersey. A three or Four year deal with a team option for 11 mio per year should give both sides what they want and this Dallas lineup could go deeep into the playoffs! 

[christebasParticipant]

 I wonder if the Lakers are considerinig an offer of 10mil with team options but I like the idea of the Bucks with their new ownership 

[christebasParticipant]

 I wonder if the Lakers are considerinig an offer of 10mil with team options but I like the idea of the Bucks with their new ownership 

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Lance to Philadelphia or New York via Sign and Trade…

If the Knicks were to trade Bargnani and Hardaway for Lance I think that’s a good move for both parties involved…

The 76ers could use Lance as the SG of the future, MCW and LS could become a great defensive back court and when Saric and Embiid are added to the roster

What about a 3 team trade where Hardaway and Bargnani get dealt to the 76ers, Lance ends up in New York and the Pacers get a 2nd round pick and a Trade Exemption from Philadelphia

Pacers resign Evan Turner to “replace” Lance, and could use the Trade Exemption at the deadline, maybe they can also sign DJ Augustine…

76ers add a shooter in Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bargnani gets us closer to the Cap Minimum

Knicks get to pair Lance up with Melo for the next 4 years, maybe Phil Jackson gets him to cool out and mature

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Lance to Philadelphia or New York via Sign and Trade…

If the Knicks were to trade Bargnani and Hardaway for Lance I think that’s a good move for both parties involved…

The 76ers could use Lance as the SG of the future, MCW and LS could become a great defensive back court and when Saric and Embiid are added to the roster

What about a 3 team trade where Hardaway and Bargnani get dealt to the 76ers, Lance ends up in New York and the Pacers get a 2nd round pick and a Trade Exemption from Philadelphia

Pacers resign Evan Turner to “replace” Lance, and could use the Trade Exemption at the deadline, maybe they can also sign DJ Augustine…

76ers add a shooter in Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bargnani gets us closer to the Cap Minimum

Knicks get to pair Lance up with Melo for the next 4 years, maybe Phil Jackson gets him to cool out and mature

[SpacegrassParticipant]

 I am feeling like Dallas.  But I think he needs to be willing to be the 6th man or Ellis s needs to be the 6th man.

[SpacegrassParticipant]

 I am feeling like Dallas.  But I think he needs to be willing to be the 6th man or Ellis s needs to be the 6th man.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 Yeah his antics get old, but they also are in the spirit of competition, he’s never gotten in trouble with the law or off the court. He’s made major improvements every year and has never been known for taking nights off. I think 11-12mil a year is certainly wantented but I would certainly want to keep him surrounded by solid veteran leadership to keep him in check.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 Yeah his antics get old, but they also are in the spirit of competition, he’s never gotten in trouble with the law or off the court. He’s made major improvements every year and has never been known for taking nights off. I think 11-12mil a year is certainly wantented but I would certainly want to keep him surrounded by solid veteran leadership to keep him in check.

[WetalkinboutpracticeParticipant]

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=5467630&src=desktop

[WetalkinboutpracticeParticipant]

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=5467630&src=desktop

[butidonthavemoney]

Worth mentioning that his girlfriend was pregnant at the time and he supposedly slammed her head against the bottom stair.

He also reportedly hired a prostitute and then refused to pay her.

Even if he’s innocent of both allegations, trouble still follows him around. Not everybody wants people like that representing their franchise.

[butidonthavemoney]

Worth mentioning that his girlfriend was pregnant at the time and he supposedly slammed her head against the bottom stair.

He also reportedly hired a prostitute and then refused to pay her.

Even if he’s innocent of both allegations, trouble still follows him around. Not everybody wants people like that representing their franchise.

[HitsterParticipant]

 The Knicks would give him the big platform but Lance in a City like NY could be a ticking time bomb. Phil handled Dennis Rodman and Derek Fisher has played with so many big stars he could be a good coach for Lance.

Dallas would have a good veteran presence for Lance too.

Philly have cap space and need to fill it, Lance would become an immediate senior player there so would the extra responsibility help him grow up I wonder. The flipside is do you want a potentially disruptive presence on a young roster, the same applies to the Bucks. Also at the Bucks there would be issues about who gets the ball with Knight, Greek Freak and Jabari all wanting it.

Miami still have cap space and could use Lance to play some point or maybe use him as an SF when they go smallball, he’d be on a winning team with D-Wade, LeBron, Deng, Haslem and co as good role models plus Pat Riley to oversee what he does. 

 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 The Knicks would give him the big platform but Lance in a City like NY could be a ticking time bomb. Phil handled Dennis Rodman and Derek Fisher has played with so many big stars he could be a good coach for Lance.

Dallas would have a good veteran presence for Lance too.

Philly have cap space and need to fill it, Lance would become an immediate senior player there so would the extra responsibility help him grow up I wonder. The flipside is do you want a potentially disruptive presence on a young roster, the same applies to the Bucks. Also at the Bucks there would be issues about who gets the ball with Knight, Greek Freak and Jabari all wanting it.

Miami still have cap space and could use Lance to play some point or maybe use him as an SF when they go smallball, he’d be on a winning team with D-Wade, LeBron, Deng, Haslem and co as good role models plus Pat Riley to oversee what he does. 

 

 

 

[Hacker90Participant]

Is playing for the Cavs now. Going to assume you meant Bosh.

[Hacker90Participant]

Is playing for the Cavs now. Going to assume you meant Bosh.

[festar35Participant]

Firstly I don’t really see Charlotte as a factor for Lance’s services, I think he would fit well no doubt but they have had plenty of time to sort an offer and done nothing.

Therefore I see the two main options for Stephenson which are, staying in Indiana or going to Dallas. This is how I think it plays out, if Dallas misses on Parsons and the Rockets match I can see Dallas stepping in with an offer along the lines of 3yrs $30-33mil with a team option on the third. This gives Lance the money he wants, but at the same time they are a team believed to have concerns about his character and allow them to decide whether or not to keep him after 2.

If Dallas land Parsons then I don’t really see anyone but Indiana getting Lance as I am not sure many more offers come his way. Potentially his agent may look for a shorter contract that is only 2 years, so that if he performs he can get paid in 2016 when West and Hibbert comes off the books.

I am still at an impasse when it comes to whether I want to see him back in Indiana as his talent is undeniable, however I can’t help but feel he played a part in that locker room and on court nose dive Indiana took, as it all started as he missed out on the All-Star game.

I would love Lance back for the right price, but I still think Indiana can be a very good team without him as long as PG continues to improve, Hill finds some aggression and who knows maybe Hibbert will have his head on right this season.

[festar35Participant]

Firstly I don’t really see Charlotte as a factor for Lance’s services, I think he would fit well no doubt but they have had plenty of time to sort an offer and done nothing.

Therefore I see the two main options for Stephenson which are, staying in Indiana or going to Dallas. This is how I think it plays out, if Dallas misses on Parsons and the Rockets match I can see Dallas stepping in with an offer along the lines of 3yrs $30-33mil with a team option on the third. This gives Lance the money he wants, but at the same time they are a team believed to have concerns about his character and allow them to decide whether or not to keep him after 2.

If Dallas land Parsons then I don’t really see anyone but Indiana getting Lance as I am not sure many more offers come his way. Potentially his agent may look for a shorter contract that is only 2 years, so that if he performs he can get paid in 2016 when West and Hibbert comes off the books.

I am still at an impasse when it comes to whether I want to see him back in Indiana as his talent is undeniable, however I can’t help but feel he played a part in that locker room and on court nose dive Indiana took, as it all started as he missed out on the All-Star game.

I would love Lance back for the right price, but I still think Indiana can be a very good team without him as long as PG continues to improve, Hill finds some aggression and who knows maybe Hibbert will have his head on right this season.

[christebasParticipant]

After he missed out on the All-star game, it was fairly obvious he was moping around on and off the court in a very unprofessional manner.  In addition, he was accused of ‘friendly fire rebounds,’ where he would take another teammates rebound just to pad his stats after the all-star fiasco.  As for the ‘nose-dive’ it’s hard for any of us to say what really happened, but based on Lance’s on-court behaviour it would seem he was involved especially after Roy Hibbert said there’s ‘some selfish dudes in here.’  Who else on that Pacers needed to pad their stats other than Lance?  Without the strong support system he’s received from Larry Bird, David West and Company, who knows if Lance’s development would of been close to where it is now.  He’s a phenomennal talent, however he needs to be surrounded by a strong group of veterans who won’t allow him to engage in the antics he displayed in the Conference finals.  Mark Cuban says he’s interested  http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/07/12/mark-cuban-mavericks-pursue-pacers-free-agent-lance-stephenson/12586265/ but I like your idea of only a 2 year guarantee.  That’ll certinaly keep him in check.  I wonder how much teams like the Mavs are willing to pony up for Lance and if any other teams are showing interest. 

[christebasParticipant]

After he missed out on the All-star game, it was fairly obvious he was moping around on and off the court in a very unprofessional manner.  In addition, he was accused of ‘friendly fire rebounds,’ where he would take another teammates rebound just to pad his stats after the all-star fiasco.  As for the ‘nose-dive’ it’s hard for any of us to say what really happened, but based on Lance’s on-court behaviour it would seem he was involved especially after Roy Hibbert said there’s ‘some selfish dudes in here.’  Who else on that Pacers needed to pad their stats other than Lance?  Without the strong support system he’s received from Larry Bird, David West and Company, who knows if Lance’s development would of been close to where it is now.  He’s a phenomennal talent, however he needs to be surrounded by a strong group of veterans who won’t allow him to engage in the antics he displayed in the Conference finals.  Mark Cuban says he’s interested  http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/07/12/mark-cuban-mavericks-pursue-pacers-free-agent-lance-stephenson/12586265/ but I like your idea of only a 2 year guarantee.  That’ll certinaly keep him in check.  I wonder how much teams like the Mavs are willing to pony up for Lance and if any other teams are showing interest. 

[Mad MaxParticipant]

 stay in Indy, because I hate Lance and I hate Indiana – perfect match!

[Mad MaxParticipant]

 stay in Indy, because I hate Lance and I hate Indiana – perfect match!

[BiggaveliiiParticipant]

i think Indy has to get him back, if not Indy i think he goes to the Hornets. If he wants to win then Indy, but if he cares about other shit He goes to the Hornets. East is the pacers for the taking now that miami is no longer running with James.

[BiggaveliiiParticipant]

i think Indy has to get him back, if not Indy i think he goes to the Hornets. If he wants to win then Indy, but if he cares about other shit He goes to the Hornets. East is the pacers for the taking now that miami is no longer running with James.

[Dog_ShammdogParticipant]

 I think Mitch n Jeanie have it in em to throw him a fat offer with a team option and then try and pass it off like this offseason was a success. It’s been stated that Kobe will see time at the 3, originally it was looked at as a luxury but even without lance it could be necessity.

[Dog_ShammdogParticipant]

 I think Mitch n Jeanie have it in em to throw him a fat offer with a team option and then try and pass it off like this offseason was a success. It’s been stated that Kobe will see time at the 3, originally it was looked at as a luxury but even without lance it could be necessity.

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I don’t understand how no one seems to see the obvious racism happening here. Hayward and Parsons are not any better than Lance probably even worse due to his defense. They both got max deals but most analytics that I saw showed they should have only gotten between 8-11 mil per year. The difference is casual fans and mostly donors are more excited about having a white guy on their team. It makes sense for selling tickets but is a horrible investment for winning. 

[doubledribblerParticipant]

You act like Parsons can’t play. Both him and Heyward were overpaid because they were restricted. You end up wasting your time if you give them the exact offer that you know the other team is willing to pay for him. I give you that Lance is better than both, but no one wants to deal with the headache.

As far as teams go, sure people like to see people that look like them succeed and watch them play. I wouldn’t say that is racism. I mean if it was racism I doubt Jodie Meeks gets 6 million a year, Ben Gordon gets 4.5 million or Channing Frye gets 8 million. More importantly Ben Gordon has done absolutely nothing for at least the last couple of years except drive to the ATM machine with a smile on his face.

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

I never said they couldn’t play but, the max contract is an extreme overpay. The other people your talking about are veterans fitting specific roles for a team. The fact that your saying Lance is a headache has some bias to it by itself. He is a competitive person, I’ve seen Garnett and many other veterans do stuff like what he was doing. You should do some research on white priviledge you might hear things you never have heard before.

[celtics1982Participant]

You are so out of Line!!!  Stop saying the numbers show Lance as a better player, they don’t.  Top 30 free agents by the numbers by Kevin Pelton of ESPN insider shows this;

7. Parsons with a projects WARP over the next three years to be 23.1

10. Hayward with 20.1 WARP

and

18 Stephenson with a 13.6 WARP

There is no Racism here, Stephenson is going to get a smaller contract because he’s not as good of a player, by a good margin.  Also I don’t judge him based on the stuff he did in the playoffs, that was just his competitive side.  I’m worried about all his off court antics, which are well documented.  He is a modern day Ron Artest.  A very good player, that doesn’t have his head on straight. 

[Ghost01Participant]

 The racism argument is insane, but Lance was a lot better than Gordon Hayward last year. I get why Utah matched, but he had a terrible season really. 

[celtics1982Participant]

He did have a bad shooting season, but he should rebound, seem like an outliner.  He’s always been a good shooter.  Going forward I’d rather have Hayward over Stephenson.

[Ghost01Participant]

Stephenson makes it hard because he’s crazy, but I’ve yet to see Hayward do anything in meaningful games, so its hard for me to back him in this argument. 

[Ghost01Participant]

Stephenson makes it hard because he’s crazy, but I’ve yet to see Hayward do anything in meaningful games, so its hard for me to back him in this argument. 

[celtics1982Participant]

He did have a bad shooting season, but he should rebound, seem like an outliner.  He’s always been a good shooter.  Going forward I’d rather have Hayward over Stephenson.

[Ghost01Participant]

 The racism argument is insane, but Lance was a lot better than Gordon Hayward last year. I get why Utah matched, but he had a terrible season really. 

[celtics1982Participant]

You are so out of Line!!!  Stop saying the numbers show Lance as a better player, they don’t.  Top 30 free agents by the numbers by Kevin Pelton of ESPN insider shows this;

7. Parsons with a projects WARP over the next three years to be 23.1

10. Hayward with 20.1 WARP

and

18 Stephenson with a 13.6 WARP

There is no Racism here, Stephenson is going to get a smaller contract because he’s not as good of a player, by a good margin.  Also I don’t judge him based on the stuff he did in the playoffs, that was just his competitive side.  I’m worried about all his off court antics, which are well documented.  He is a modern day Ron Artest.  A very good player, that doesn’t have his head on straight. 

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

I never said they couldn’t play but, the max contract is an extreme overpay. The other people your talking about are veterans fitting specific roles for a team. The fact that your saying Lance is a headache has some bias to it by itself. He is a competitive person, I’ve seen Garnett and many other veterans do stuff like what he was doing. You should do some research on white priviledge you might hear things you never have heard before.

[doubledribblerParticipant]

You act like Parsons can’t play. Both him and Heyward were overpaid because they were restricted. You end up wasting your time if you give them the exact offer that you know the other team is willing to pay for him. I give you that Lance is better than both, but no one wants to deal with the headache.

As far as teams go, sure people like to see people that look like them succeed and watch them play. I wouldn’t say that is racism. I mean if it was racism I doubt Jodie Meeks gets 6 million a year, Ben Gordon gets 4.5 million or Channing Frye gets 8 million. More importantly Ben Gordon has done absolutely nothing for at least the last couple of years except drive to the ATM machine with a smile on his face.

[OhCanada-Participant]

One of the worst replies Ive seen on this site surprised Im even entertaining it but here we go.

Utah cant attract elite free agents to spend money on. They have boatloads of money for the cap. Paying Hayward the max makes no difference to them at this point especially with the salary cap increasing longterm. They need to develop thier talent and cant let Hayward walk. They have drafted players from all ovee the globe and do not make decisions on colour.

Charlotte already has white players on the team and if they only overpaid to have a white player on the team they would have just overpaid Mcroberts for less. Or even draft Stauskas. Fact is Charlotte has created a small window to compete and need to improve while Jefferson is under contract so they can ultimately compete for a Championship. With Indiana and Miami under heavy scrutiny right now and Cleveland having a polar shift within the organization Lebron coming over yet still they are young Charlotte made a bold move to improve the roster and compete to get out of the East. Im happy for them.

I know your not trolling you usually make very insightful posts. But race has got nothong to do with it this time trust me bud.

[OhCanada-Participant]

One of the worst replies Ive seen on this site surprised Im even entertaining it but here we go.

Utah cant attract elite free agents to spend money on. They have boatloads of money for the cap. Paying Hayward the max makes no difference to them at this point especially with the salary cap increasing longterm. They need to develop thier talent and cant let Hayward walk. They have drafted players from all ovee the globe and do not make decisions on colour.

Charlotte already has white players on the team and if they only overpaid to have a white player on the team they would have just overpaid Mcroberts for less. Or even draft Stauskas. Fact is Charlotte has created a small window to compete and need to improve while Jefferson is under contract so they can ultimately compete for a Championship. With Indiana and Miami under heavy scrutiny right now and Cleveland having a polar shift within the organization Lebron coming over yet still they are young Charlotte made a bold move to improve the roster and compete to get out of the East. Im happy for them.

I know your not trolling you usually make very insightful posts. But race has got nothong to do with it this time trust me bud.

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I don’t understand how no one seems to see the obvious racism happening here. Hayward and Parsons are not any better than Lance probably even worse due to his defense. They both got max deals but most analytics that I saw showed they should have only gotten between 8-11 mil per year. The difference is casual fans and mostly donors are more excited about having a white guy on their team. It makes sense for selling tickets but is a horrible investment for winning. 

[Dog_ShammdogParticipant]

 Wow! I can’t believe somebody just went there. The most prevalent and overlooked racism in society is against white ppl. I’m not white either so don’t go there. Jeremy Lin killed it in the combine athletically and in game play but didn’t go in the first bc he’s chinese (age also played a role). Look up "White guilt". You might see some things you haven’t noticed.Lances antics are inherently bad. I’d love to see lance in purple n yellow and at this point id be down to throw him the max. It’d be hit or miss, and the lakers are due for a hit. Kobe could teach him how to be a pro and a champion or lance could fight him. Sounds exciting either way.

[Dog_ShammdogParticipant]

 Wow! I can’t believe somebody just went there. The most prevalent and overlooked racism in society is against white ppl. I’m not white either so don’t go there. Jeremy Lin killed it in the combine athletically and in game play but didn’t go in the first bc he’s chinese (age also played a role). Look up "White guilt". You might see some things you haven’t noticed.Lances antics are inherently bad. I’d love to see lance in purple n yellow and at this point id be down to throw him the max. It’d be hit or miss, and the lakers are due for a hit. Kobe could teach him how to be a pro and a champion or lance could fight him. Sounds exciting either way.

[Author]

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