e-monk

Marc J. SpearsEscape from L.A.: Ramon Sessions gets fresh start with Bobcats
Fri, Oct 12, 2012 8:55 PM EDT

These days, Ramon Sessions finds himself a long way from the bright lights and star-filled locker room of the Los Angeles Lakers. He's traded a starting job on the NBA's glamour roster for one on the NBA's worst team – and somehow that's just fine with him.

Sessions could have returned to the Lakers this season, but instead opted out of the $4.5 million final year of his contract to test the free-agent market. A concern of the Lakers trading him, a desire for more contract security and a chance to play near home have made Sessions comfortable with his decision to sign a two-year, $10 million deal with the Bobcats.

"It wasn't hard," Sessions told Yahoo! Sports. "Myself being around the league for six years or so, five different teams, it is what it is. I'm not worried about [what people think]. As long as the name is still on the back of the jersey, that's what I'm worrying about."


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--es...h-bobcats.html

R-Star

A relatively young player looking to move to a team where he'd make more money and be the starter, instead of getting scrub minutes backing up a multi MVP in Nash.


.... yea. What a punk.

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e-monk

except he left before they ever got Nash (and if he had stayed even with Nash on board he easily could have been a Jason Terry like combo guard getting 25-30 minutes a game off the bench) and he gave up a guaranteed 4.5m this season to get 10m over the next two years so didnt really make more money he just added a year to his contract and oh he went to the bobcats

you being wrong in every particular aside he's not really a punk for any of that, he's a punk because this: "As long as the name is still on the back of the jersey..."

R-Star

Its a pretty clear analogy for him still being in the league, which is his primary concern.

And the Lakers were actively looking to improve their PG situation this offseason, so once again, you're a little out of your league in this debate.

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e-monk

I am out of my league - apparently I've gone down from the majors to some double A affiliate


a) even with an upgrade he still could have picked up significant minutes off the bench in a combo guard role - as it stands they dont want Nash playing much more than 30 minutes and someone has to pick up those minutes
b) he would be in league somewhere regardless but he chose starting for a developmental league team over a chance to compete in meaningful games - and even if he was afraid of getting traded he'd still be better off in Brooklyn or Phoenix (his scenarios) than he is in Charlotte
c) he didnt make any more money than he would have otherwise, he simply added a season which would have been fait accompli somewhere anyway
and
d) if "name on the back of the jersey" = "as long as Im playing somewhere" that still = punk

Dornado

I don't think Laker fans are used to players rejecting them... it is a mostly foreign concept I'd imagine.

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e-monk

true and rather than making it about the fans how about we ask why that would be? is it that players appreciate the chance to play for an organization that gets the spotlight and consistently competes at the highest levels? so what do you call a guy who backs away from a chance to compete in significant games and is afraid of the heat of the spotlight? what's your word for that?

Dornado

I don't know, a guy from South Carolina who wanted to play close to home?

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e-monk

for the bobcats?

Jamel Irief

When I read the title I expected something worse than that.

Is the guy supposed to cry that he's on a bad team like mo Williams did when lebron left?

And correction, sessions signed with the bobcats after the lakers traded for Nash.

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Bogg

Sessions didn't want to be treated as trade bait and knew they were actively looking to upgrade his spot on the roster. For all he knew he would have been going somewhere else in either a deal for a point guard or Dwight Howard as salary ballast. It's actually similar to why Ray Allen left Boston.



This is assuming that he would have gotten enough playing time with enough opportunities to produce in meaningful minutes that somebody would have been willing to start him at around $5 million-ish on his next contract, which is hard to imagine. Also, Los Angeles and New York City have some of the highest costs of living in the country, while Charlotte's a pretty cheap NBA city to live in. No matter how you look at it, taking $10 million over two years in Charlotte puts him ahead of where he'd be financially over $4.5 for one year in LA.


You're really shocked that a couple months of starting duty and sharing playoff scapegoat responsibilities with Pau didn't buy the Lakers a hometown discount? This isn't someone who owes the Lakers anything, it's a career journeyman being unaffected by the fact that he's changed teams once again.

R-Star

I know. But revisionist history is more fun for guys like emonk.

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elcap15

I really dont see anything in this article that reflects negatively on Sessions or the lakers at all. It sounds to me like a man who chose to take his destiny in his own hands and does not regret his decision at all. Good for him.

I dont see any reason to gloat about it now. Sessions got an additional year on his contract in a situation where he could be more of a focal point. We got Steve ****ing Nash.

jazzy1

Sessions shoulda stayed with the Lakers sometimes you just gotta take a small chance that you can ride the wave with the great team and catch the dollars others don't get when the team makes it rain. lol

Sure he got another year of security but I doubt he's on the way out of the league anytime soon but his stature could elevate playing with a great team like the Lakers. With the Bobcats he's just another guy that will struggle on a crappy team. He'll always be the guy they look to upgrade from .