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Read MoreThe Lakers won the NBA championship in the bubble by starting a bigger, more physical player at every position. This summer the Lakers need to go super big and build a modern version of the bubble championship team.
During eighteen months since the Lakers won the championship with their small-ball-on-steroids style of basketball, Pelinka seems to have forgotten what worked as he essentially downsized the Lakers at every position. The poor roster construction was exacerbated by the plague of injuries that left the Lakers reverting a micro-ball lineups with LeBron James starting at the five and the team bleeding rebounds and points in the paint.
Bigger guards like Green and Caldwell-Pope were replaced by smaller guards like Schroeder and Westbrook, small forwards like Kuzma and Morris were replaced by undersized wings like Reaves and Horton-Tucker. Instead of 7-footers like McGee and Howard eating up regular season minutes at center, Pelinka countered with ineffective rent-a-centers like undersized Harrell and over-the-hill Gasol, Drummond, and Jordan.
The Lakers have two paths to get bigger: leave James and Davis at the four and five and add a bigger 3&D wing like Grant or Reddish to the three or go super big by trading for a modern stretch five like Turner or Wood. Going super big with Myles Turner or Christian Wood to recreate a modern version of the lineup that won the bubble championship with a stretch rather than low post center could be the smart move for the Lakers.
Let’s look at the four reasons it would be smart for the Lakers to supersize their starting lineup by adding a modern stretch five center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
1. Going Super Big Is Lakers’ Best Chance to Win Championship
The best path to for the Los Angeles Lakers to win a championship in today’s NBA is to recreate a modern version of the super big purple and gold team that won the 2020 NBA championship in the bubble eighteen months ago.
Having two quality 7-foot centers who can protect the rim and dominate the glass and allow LeBron James and Anthony Davis to play the three and four instead of the four and five was a major reason why the Lakers won #17. What we’ve seen the last two seasons as the Lakers have downsized their roster is that size still counts and the formula of having bigger and more physical players at every position is a blueprint the Lakers need to follow.
The only thing the Lakers should change in their super big formula is replace two 7-foot low post traditional centers with two 7-foot modern centers who can protect the rim and also stretch the floor with shooting. The Lakers can’t count on LeBron and AD shooting over 40% from deep. They need to surround them with 3-point shooters who can stretch defenses and prevent them from packing the paint to prevent layups.
The only way the Lakers can recreate the super big lineups to win a championship next season is by trading for a center who can protect the rim and shoot the three instead of seeking a 3&D wing small forward.
2. Going Super Big Will Help Keep James and Davis Healthy
After all the injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis the past two seasons, the main reason for the Lakers to go super big could be to keep their two injury-prone superstars from getting injured or just worn out.
It’s one thing to play Anthony Davis at the five to win sixteen playoff games and another to start him at the five for 82 games. Considering is history and preference, limiting AD’s minutes at the five is common sense. Davis has appeared in just 40 of the Lakers’ 82 games this season and just 36 of the team’s 82 games last season. Lakers would be wise to limit Anthony’s minutes at the five by trading for a modern two-way center to start games.
Playing small ball all the time is like playing up and can add tremendous physical wear-and-tear to a player because a good portion of his minutes are often going to be played against a bigger and more physical player. That means AD is often banging against centers instead of forwards and LeBron is battling against power forward instead of small forwards. Lakers need to rethink how their rotation decisions impact their superstars’ health.
The Lakers going big by trading for a modern two-way starting center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood should relieve the front court workload and reduce the injury risk for superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
3. Going Super Big Will Improve Lakers’ Rim Protection
One of benefits of the Lakers going big and trading for a shot blocking center like Turner or Wood rather than a 3&D wing like Grant or Redding is to have an elite shot blocker on the court for 48 minutes per game.
At the heart of the Lakers’ defensive issues this season was their lack of rim protection, which fell from a league best 6.6 blocks per game in the 2020 championship season to 7th with just 5.2 blocks per game this last season. Having elite shot blocking 48 minutes of the game should also improve the Lakers opponent field goal percentage, which at 47.0% last season was 22nd in the league compared to 44.8% in 2020, which was 8th best in the league.
Adding a young stretch five center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood would give the Lakers a bully-ball front court the league hasn’t seen for decades with three skilled rim protectors who boast elite hops, power, and athleticism. Turner has led the league in blocked shots the past two seasons with 2.8 blocks for game last year and 3.4 blocks per game this year. Wood has averaged 1.0 and 1.2 blocked shots per game over the last two seasons.
Defense wins championships and great defense starts with great rim protection. Going super big by trading for an elite shot blocking center should dramatically improve the Lakers rim protection and overall defense.
4. Going Super Big Will Improve Lakers’ Rebounding
Going super big will solve the Lakers’ rebounding woes due to playing with greatly undersized lineups due to poor roster construction and injuries. Controlling the glass, especially defensively, is critical to winning games.
Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers averaged 44.0 rebounds per game, 18th in the league. That compares to 45.7 rebounds per game and for a 9th best ranking during their championship run in the bubble back in 2020. The potential to dominate the back boards with a bully-ball front court of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Myles Turner is big reason for the Lakers to prioritize adding a modern two-way center instead of a 3&D wing.
Adding a starting quality center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood should give the Lakers more rebounding punch than adding a small forward like Jerami Grant or Cam Reddish. Size matters when it comes to rebounding. While Myles Turner, who is taller at 6′ 11″ and heavier at 250 lbs, averaged just 7.1 rebounds per game last season while Christian Wood, who is shorter at 6′ 9″ and lighter at 200 lbs, was able to average 10.1 rebounds last year.
Control the glass and often you will control the game. Going super big by trading for a modern two-way center rather than a 3&D small forward will help the Lakers become a championship caliber rebounding team.
5. Going Super Big Will Unleash Anthony Davis at the Three
There is also a possible surprise reward for the Lakers going super big and trading for a modern two-way center, which is unleashing Anthony Davis to play small forward, the position he wants to finish his career playing.
Because they don’t want to wear out or injure 37-year old LeBron James by having him play small forward and chase smaller wing scorers around picks, the Lakers will start and play LeBron most of his time at the four. That opens the door for the Lakers to move AD and his ability to defend all five positions to the three where he can become the team’s leading scorer and shut-down defender who guards the opposing team’s top wing scorer.
Davis has reportedly told the Lakers he would ultimately like to play the three, where his creative handle and elite ballhandling would have more room to make offensive moves and attack the basket than playing the four or five. Defensively, Davis at the three could be the missing lock-down wing defender the Lakers have long coveted to guard the Kawhi Leonards, Paul Georges, Kevin Durants, and other wing scorers who’ve haunted the Lakers.
Going super big with a modern version of the Lakers bully ball championship team has the potential to transform AD into the top-five superstar who can take the baton from LeBron and be the Lakers’ alpha.
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23 Comments-
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Not gonna lie, all these articles just crack me up since I’ve been tooting this horn for like a year now and got plenty of “You don’t understand modern basketball” or “LMAO!” As a response. Now that the show Simon the other foot we fire the coach who could have used a line up like this. Smarter to wait and see what kind of coach we end up with before designing a team around theories.
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I’ve never liked having old school centers who just clog things up but I’ve always wanted to be bigger at every position than the opposition. Playing small to me is about style of play. Our small ball worked because we had big guards, big forwards, and a big center. And when it counted in the playoffs or to close games, we played small. Right now, we need to be able to play big or small. I hate small guards and the micro ball lineups. Our only difference is I want a five who can shoot the three. I am so tired of big wings posting us up for midrange makes. Or getting outrebounded or not being able to defend opposing centers.
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Five Reasons Why Lakers Should Go Super Big To Win NBA Championship!
1. Best Chance to Win Championship
2. Keep James and Davis Healthy
3. Improve Lakers’ Rim Protection
4. Improve Lakers’ Rebounding
5. Unleash Anthony Davis at the Threehttps://t.co/Vw6KTPw6NT— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 16, 2022
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AD at the three is an awful idea. All of this moving him out of the position that won us a title is insane to me. Leave him at the 4, LeBron at the 3 and design a team where both players have to change less.
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Hire a coach that understands derense is the priority, we won a chip with a mediocre offense and then fell into the stupid trap of comparing ourselves to the Nets who never amounted to jack. Here’s an idea: be brave and forge the identity based on the acquirable players not some notion of what the game should look like. All these analyticsare cute, frankly theybwork OK in the regular season. But they fly out the window when the rubber meets the road, just like we see literally every season in the Finals.
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Especially don’t get overly hung up on acquiring a center that can shoot the three. It’s fools gold. LeBrongets to the rim when he chooses to, he chooses to less because he is old now and injury averse. AD was averaging the most paint points in his career and shouldbe the 5 but, again, let him be cozy and comfortable at the 4. Get the best rim protector you can. If that dude can hit a 3, wonderful, that is some tasty gravy. Ifbhe can’t, do some coaching and figure it out.
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LOL. Sure, let’s waste space on a low post traditional center who will clog ups the lane and make it hard for LeBron to score. Dinosaur thinking.
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Yep, having an identity or vision of where you’re going before you acquire players to play with LeBron and AD is the only way to build a professional sports team. Many of the problems the Lakers have had have been because they didn’t follow that logical process.
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Ahhh, there it is. Total dismissal based on a theory. Gotta love it… Dude you got your analytics team this year? Where did it go? Nowhere, that’s where. LMAO indeed…
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My only problem is #2: keep James and Davis healthy.
I know a lot of people think as long as the Lakers have AD and LBJ they have a chance. I have no faith in AD to stay healthy any longer and LeBron by himself is not enough anymore.
Hopefully I’m wrong about all this.
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Honestly Buba I don’t think you’re alone on that one. The fact some here are advocating for AD and/or LBJ to get traded is all you need to see in regards to how much faith the Laker fans have in the current Lakers.
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Just have to remember that it was only 18 months ago that AD was the second best player on the planet. He needs to stay healthy but the injuries have not been the kind that should limit his talent going forward like an ACL or Achilles. I believe in him still but he will have to show it.
Here’s the thing. I think moving AD to the three could be the catalyst to transform and unleash his game. Small forward is the premier position in the league right now. It’s where the best scorers play. It’s where real 3&D wings play. LeBron can’t play the three any more for us but AD is perfect for it. Less banging. And his length keeps players on a leash. You don’t run him into the ground doing it but it’s where he can become the player he was with the Pelicans. He will have freedom at the three he wouldn’t have playing the four or five.
We need AD to be the alpha when LeBron retires. Going super big would give him the shot to play the three. Myles, LeBron, and Anthony would be the best front court in the league.
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Watching KAT and now Embiid dominate down low and be able to play inside or outside makes me even more certain that we need a bigger center with a lower center of gravity than Davis. KAT or Joel would dominate AD. Turner would give us the size to be able to play big or small. We can’t count on Dwight to be able to continue to be able to battle the Embiids and KATs. Time for the Lakers to supersize their front court with Turner or Wood.
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Wood will get eaten alive. He’s a terrible defender and undersized.
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Dwight probably should be a backup now but he also might be the best center we can get this summer. That’s if he doesn’t find a better situation elsewhere. He and AD got into it early and his role was really messed with all season.
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Wood will get better playing next to LeBron and AD. He’s actually much more aggressive as a shot blocker, rim attacker, and rebounder than Turner is but not the defender or rim protector that Myles is.
Bottom line, he would make us much better offensively and has great upside as a player. I obviously would prefer Turner and maybe even the Hornets package but Wood is a talent who would be a great fit on the Lakers imo.
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I have to assume “e” means LeBron. That was not the case with Russ and I’m not talking about offense.
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Wood has never played next to an elite defensive player like AD or even LeBron. He will have to develop a chemistry with them. Obviously, Russ did not.
How team oriented is Wood? He hasn’t played for winners so that could be an issue. The Lakers were interested in him at the deadline so I think he will be targeted.
What could change the dynamic and make Wood a bigger target is if the Rockets are willing to take a couple of seconds to swap Russ and Wall. That could be turned into a trade if the Lakers can’t make a deal with the Pacers or Hornets.
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Aloha Tom, I can’t get behind this at all. I really don’t understand your fascination with Wood other then 3 point shooting. He’s not a good center. He broke out as a PF and then the Rockets tried to convert him to a small ball center and it failed miserably. It’s amusing when you use the word bully ball in the same sentence as Wood. The guy weighs 214 pounds and is pushed around inside. I don’t believe you have seen him play much. AD out weighs him by 40 pounds and is stronger. He is much better equipped to bang with the big boys. Wood is an okay shot blocker, 47 in the league but that doesn’t rock my world, especially with a 116.2 defensive rating. The Rockets were not a good defensive team but you would at least want him to be better then the team average, which he wasn’t. Now moving AD to the 3 would be not be a good move either. It takes away everything that makes him special. He blocks 2.3 shots a game, can switch everything. He’s combination of quickness, size and footwork makes him one of they very best players in the paint so it makes little sense to me to move him to the wing with his 18% 3 point shooting. He is an all NBA caliber defensive center or PF. Now I can’t remember Wood guarding the perimeter but if he could it might make sense to put him on the wing where he is less likely to be bullied. He is a good 3 point shooter so he would see a lot of open looks playing with AD and LeBron. Of course Wood also became a cancer in the locker room which lowered his trade value. His complaint? Lack of touches. Think he would get more in LA? I can see why he didn’t get more. I mean he only averaged 1.14 on pick and pop, pick and roll opportunities which isn’t great. Add in his 59% from the line and the fact he lost his starting job the Sengue, it doesn’t add up to a big plus for me. Instead of playing a lot of guys out of position I think it’s better to try and find a decent 3 and D forward with size.
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Aloha, Michael.
Yes, Wood clearly doesn’t fit my description of what I want in a modern two-way center as well as Turner does and many of your criticism of him are legitimate concerns. He’s nowhere near the polished proven product that Turner is but he’s also an explosive player on offense attacking the rim with quickness and fierceness and he can shoot. I think he could be a poor man’s version of Anthony Davis. He has quick feet, long hands, and great wingspan. Could he be a problem player? Possibly but those are the flaws you have to judge whether he can overcome them because all of the players you can trade for will have negatives. I think Wood is probably a low floor and high ceiling player. In the end, I like mobile bigs who can shoot threes, dunk with passion, and block shots. There’s a lot to work with there.
As for AD playing the three, I seriously think small forward could be his best position. Davis could be the wing defender we’ve always coveted. Think about it. The positions you can play in this league are the positions you can defend. Davis has the quickness, hops, size, and length to recover when beaten to the hoop or by a screen. There is nobody on this team who can defend 1-on1 as well as AD can.
If we have a shot blocker like Turner to anchor the center position defensively and bigger guards who can score like Hield and Brogdon, then allowing AD to play the three where he can take advantage of smaller players and play in space without as much low post banging and physicality, it could be his perfect position going forward. It’s where he says he wants to play to finish his career. He’d be best playing the three right now in his prime. Take advantage of LeBron’s closing window.
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AD at the 3 is folly, if we got Wood (feels unlikely but for the sake of debate let’s assume it’s possible) he’s be better at the 3. Frankly, if you get Wood, the smarter choice seems to me to be Davis at the 5, Wood at the 4 and LeBron at the 3 (hopefully w/Monk and at worst Reaves as the guards). I don’t think that line up will do great on defense or rebounding (who boxes out? Nobody, just like this season that’s who lol). The thing I’m seeing now is, since we ditched our jack of all trades that can win a title team and traded away almost all of our tradable assets for Westbrook we now are faced with a choice. We don’t have enough to rebuild a decent “do everything” team like we had, you need to focus on one end and kind of go all-in. So Rob will either go high octane offense or stalwart defense and I would imagine it will have everything to do with whom we can actually get back in a Russ trade. The best multi-tool players are ensconced on other teams now. Simply playing alongside AD or LeBron doesn’t make anyone better at anything, just adds more pressure. In fact it’s extremely difficult to slot high-usage players alongside either LBJ or AD, to say nothing of both. If I’m Rob Internet-focus in the defensive end and get a coach who can maximize what offensive talents the roster has. But, honestly, this team is such a mess right now it’s unlikely to get fixed this summer. LBJ is as likely to walk next summer as sign an extension. We need to get beyond lucky. Hard for me to see that happening given the materials we have to work with.
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I’m with you Jamie about Wood. You don’t switch out one of the best centers in the NBA with one of the worst and then put that great center out on the wing, where all his best qualities are not utilized. Woods trade value has plummeted so drastically over the last two years that I could actually see landing him. But not as a center.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreThere will be multiple teams like the Pacers and Hornets looking to dump rotation players on long-term contracts for future cap space who would love to trade for Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract this summer.
Trading for Westbrook’s gigantic expiring contract offers rebuilding teams the perfect opportunity to move the multi-year contracts of rotation players whose timelines don’t match their rebuild to create future cap space. Westbrook not only offers teams like the Pacers and Hornets a way to dump long-term salary but to do so without having to include sweeteners like first draft picks. Instead, they might even be able to acquire draft capital.
For example, the Charlotte Hornets could dump the salaries of Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Mason Plumlee to the Lakers in return for Russell Westbrook without having to give up a draft pick as compensation. Since the Lakers need a point guard to replace Westbrook, they might be willing to include a first round draft picks if the Hornets would substitute point guard Terry Rozier instead of Kelly Oubre and Mason Plumlee.
Similarly, the Indiana Pacers could dump the salaries of Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield in a straight up trade to the Lakers in return for Russell Westbrook without having to give up a first round pick as compensation. Since the Lakers also had serious interest in stretch center Myles Turner, they might be willing to include 21-year old Talen Horton-Tucker and a first round draft pick if the Hornets would also included Myles Turner.
While teams like the OKC Thunder, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons could also be interested in trading for Westbrook, the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets are the most likely trading partners. Now that the Lakers’, Pacers’ and Hornets’ NBA seasons have ended, Pelinka should be on the phone pushing the Pacers for a Turner, Brogdon, and Hield trade and the Hornets for a Hayward, Rozier, and Oubre trade.
The Lakers are fortunate there are a half dozen teams looking to dump rotation players on long-term contracts for future cap space who’d love to trade for Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract this summer.
5 Comments-
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This is the click-bait window still, when we get closer to the draft we’ll have a slightly more accurate gauge of the interest level.
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There’s a 12 year old out there who’ll be on the next Lakers team that’s relevant.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreRob Pelinka needs a big offseason trade to transform the Lakers into a championship team by turning Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract and a pair of unprotected first round picks into three new starters.
The Lakers need size and athleticism across the board, better perimeter and interior defenders, and more elite shooters who can create their own shots. Specifically, they need three new starters to complement LeBron and AD. Malik Monk, Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, and Wenyen Gabriel are fine young Lakers players but none of them is close to being good enough at this point in their careers to be starters on a legitimate NBA championship team.
The Lakers’ problem is they have more holes to fill than trading chips to spend so they need to find a rebuilding team as trading partner who needs to dump rotation-quality players on long-term contracts to create cap space. Those are the teams for whom Russel Westbrook’s gigantic expiring contract and the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks will have real value. Talen Horton-Tucker’s and Kendrick Nunn’s value is now only as salary filler.
The NBA teams possibly looking to move key rotation players with multiple-year contracts for expiring contracts to free up cap space incudes the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, and New York Knicks. The NBA players on those four teams whom the Lakers could target include Pacers’ Turner, Hield, and Brogdon; Hornets’ Hayward, Rozier, and Oubre; Rockets Wood, Gordon, and Wall; and Knicks Randle, Walker, and Reddish.
Here’s what Pelinka needs to do position-by-position and player-by-player this summer to build a better starting lineup that can carry the Los Angeles Lakers to their league-leading 18th NBA championship next season.
1. Point Guard — Find Replacement for Russell Westbrook
The Lakers need a starting quality point guard as part of the return in any trade for Russell Westbrook and Malcolm Brogdon is a better fit than Terry Rozier, John Wall, and Kemba Walker, the other available point guards.
The 29-year old, 6′ 5,” 229 lb Brogdon averaged 19.1/5.1/5.9 in 33.5 mpg while shooting 44.8%/31.2%/85.6% compared to 33-year old, 6′ 3,” 200 lb Westbrook’s 18.5/7.4/7.1 in 34.3 mpg while shooting 34.3%/29.8%/66.7%. Brogdon is a major upgrade over Westbrook in every area. He’s a 37.6% career 3-point shooter with a 2.8 career assist/turnover ratio as playmaker vs Westbrook’s 30.0% career 3-point shooting and 2.0 career assist/turnover.
Besides being a better shooter and more efficient playmaker, Malcolm will be an even bigger upgrade over Russ on defense because he won’t blow rotations or take off plays and is 2″ and 29 lbs bigger and 4 years younger. Finally, Brogdon is locked up for three more seasons at $22.5 million per year which allows the Lakers to stabilize their starting point guard position with a proven player who can shoot, pass, and switch everything on defense.
There’s a potential Westbrook trade with the Pacers where the Lakers get Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield. Because the Lakers need a top quality replacement for Westbrook, the Indiana trade should be a top priority.
2. Shooting Guard — Find Volume Shooter Defenses Respect
Landing Buddy Hield as part of the return from a Russell Westbrook trade would be a rare opportunity to get a mulligan and redo the disastrous trade that, with injuries, derailed the Lakers’ championship hopes this season.
The Lakers were on the verge of trading Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell to the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield last summer before they changed their minds at the last minute and opted to trade for Russell Westbrook. Suddenly, with the Pacers interested in a salary dump of Brogdon and Hield in return for Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract, the Lakers have an opportunity to put together a dramatically bigger and better backcourt.
Buddy Hield is the high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter the Lakers need to stretch defenses to prevent teams from packing the paint and create spacing for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack the basket. This season, Buddy Hield averaged 15.6/4.4/2.8 on 35.6 mpg while shooting 44.7%/36.2%/88.6%. Buddy’s a career 39.8% 3-point shooter who has taken more than 8.5 threes per game over the last four NBA seasons.
The Lakers top trading partner priority this summer should be the Indiana Pacers because they have a legitimate starting quality point guard and shooting guard whom they’re willing to trade for Russ’ expiring contract.
3. Small Forward — Find Elite Three-Level Wing Defender
The Lakers’ greatest need this past season was for a legitimate 3&D small forward with the size and power to defend the bigger wing scorers the team faces like Kawhi Leonard, Pau George, Jason Tatum, and Kevin Durant.
We saw how frustrating it was for the Lakers this season trying to have 6′ 4″ Talen Horton-Tucker or 6′ 6″ Stanley Johnson trying to stop bigger wins who take smaller defenders into the paint for easy-to-make midrange jumpers. Bigger 3&D wing defenders are now the most desired addition on every NBA team’s roster. They’re a rare commodity in today’s NBA which is why the Lakers need to move Anthony Davis to small forward beginning this year.
While the injury prone Davis has often complained about having to endure the banging and physicality of playing the five, his dream as an NBA player is to actually to play small forward. Time has come to let AD live his dream. Starting Davis at the three would reduce the wear-and-tear Anthony would have to deal with playing the five full-time and give the Lakers the ultimate wing defender, a 6′ 11,” 250 lb athletic marvel who defend all three levels.
Moving Anthony Davis to starting small forward is part of a rebuilding the front court of the Lakers so they can play a modern version of the small-ball-on-steroids style that dominated the championship in the bubble.
4. Power Forward — Find Bully Ball Stretch Four
The other part of rebuilding the Lakers front court for next season to be more like the small-ball-on-steroids lineups that won the championship is playing aging superstar LeBron James as the starting bully ball stretch four.
The switch of AD to the three and LeBron to the four is not only designed to optimize Davis’ and James’ skillsets but also give the Lakers a dominant size advantage over opponents at every position. Positional size is a to priority. Building a roster with a starting lineup that consists of a 6′ 5″ point guard, a 6′ 4″ shooting guard, a 6′ 10″ small forward, a 6′ 9″ power forward, and a 6′ 11″ center will give the Lakers the flexibility to go super big or super small.
Playing LeBron at the four instead of the three also keeps James at 37-years old from wearing himself out chasing bigger wing scorers around screens and allows him to take advantage of his emerging 3-point shooting prowess. The 6′ 11″ Davis with his unicorn size and length could be more valuable to the Lakers as a 3&D small forward who can shutdown bigger wing scorers than as a small ball center who protects the rim and stretches the floor.
Moving LeBron to the four is playing him where his game can best take advantage of the skillset he’s developed as a 19-year, 37-year old veteran. Today’s LeBron James has become the quintessential bully ball stretch four.
5. Center — Find Rim-Protecting Modern Center
The key to the Lakers supersizing their lineups with 6′ 10,” 250 lb Anthony Davis at the three and 6′ 9,” 250 lb LeBron James at the four is the ability to find a starting center who can protect the rim and stretch the floor.
The player the Lakers need is the Pacers’ Myles Turner, a 26-year old 6′ 11,” 250 lb center who led the league with 2.8 and 3.4 blocked shots per game last two seasons and a 34.9% career 3-point shooting on 4.4 shots per game. The Lakers desperately miss the rim protection, dunks, and rebounds they got during the championship run from traditional low post centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee in addition to small ball center Anthony Davis.
Myles Turner not only gives the Lakers better shot blocking than they had during their 2020 championship run but also the benefit of being a stretch five center who can stretch the floor rather than being stuck in the paint. Turner will allow the team to play a modern version of a monster three bigs lineup with three 250 lb front court players or go small with the Lakers’ unique small-ball-on-steroids attack with Anthony Davis at the five.
The Lakers need to expand Hield and Brogdon for Westbrook trade to Hield, Brogdon, and Turner for Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and the Lakers unprotected post LeBron James 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks.
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How Rob Pelinka Can Upgrade Lakers’ Starting Lineup to Create Dream Team:
1. Find Replacement for Russ
2. Find Volume Shooter Defenses Respect
3. Find Elite Three-Level Wing Defender
4. Find Bully Ball Stretch Four
5. Find Rim-Protecting Modern Centerhttps://t.co/2k54CWD8CU— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 13, 2022
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Predicting trades is almost impossible so the chances the Lakers could trade for Turner, Hield, and Brogdon is remote but it should be something the Lakers shoot for.
While it might be a dream, it was good to see Pincus suggest the Lakers should look to try and get Turner added to the Hield and Brogdon trade. And he had Hield and Brogdon as second most likely to happen. That’s great news for Lakers.
Getting Turner, Hield, and Brogdon for Russ, THT, Nunn, and 2 picks would give us a modern version of the small-ball-on-steroids lineup that won the bubble championship that could play big or small and with enough positional size to switch everything.
Talk about two major Lakers decisions:
New Head Coach
Westbrook TradeEverything hanging on Rob Pelinka. SMH.
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One other thing that just occurred to me with this trade in it’s “dream” state: Westbrook, Nunn and THT are all expiring (THT potentially with his PO) and highly likely to walk after the season. So, really, you’re asking Indy to trade a large part of their core and some of their best players for 2 draft picks that convey 5 years from now. Really hard for me to entertain that notion when framed that way. Yes, they would have EB Rights on Nunn and THT has a player option for year 3 of his deal. All that means is he either declines said option because he killed it on the court or opts in because he was injured or sucked. Westbrook is walking, Nunn is likely walking and the picks are a half decade away. Could they say yes? Sure, they could. Will they? Probably not.
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Westbrook, THT, and Nunn are all just trade filler for the two-team salary dump. The trade is being made for financial, not ‘on court’ reasons. We could see players from both sides of the trade then being moved elsewhere. We could see the trade expanded to a multiple-team trade. The key for the Lakers is breaking up Russ’ big contract into multiple players who are either keepers or tradeable for players who are keepers.
While I’m optimistic the Lakers will have multiple offers for Russ, it’s easy to see from the early articles that there are going to be three or four teams who could easily trade for Russ and the parameters of those trades seem to be reasonable. That’s great news for the Lakers because it says a logical trade is likely to emerge so we don’t really have to depend on Rob Pelinka pulling some impossible magic deal out of his hat to save the Lakers.
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Aloha Tom, I do believe that the Pacers could be our best bet. Still there are concerns. Like the Hornets Hayward there are reasons the Pacers want to move Brogdon. Specifically health. Hayward has actually played more than Brogdon. In his career Brogdon has played 75, 48, 64, 54, 56, and 36 games. It’s that kind of injury history that makes me wonder if we would be better off going after the Hornets Rozier at the PG slot. As far as Buddy if we are fortunate enough to keep Malik Buddy will come off the bench. Malik is a 3 level scorer, Buddy is not. Malik is creative and can create his own shot, crazy handles and can get to the rim. Buddy can’t. Malik is a much better defender. Malik has crazy athleticism and can get to all those lobs that were tossed his way, Buddy is not. And finally Malik was a much better 3 point shooter this year than Buddy. Buddy would be valuable as a shooter off the bench but he’s not going to play in front of Malik. As for Turner we have already went around and around on him. All will say is if the Pacer can’t sign him to an extension and does go on the trade market, he will be the hottest center name out there. We would likely have to give up 2 firsts for just Buddy and Brogdon.
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Aloha, Michael. I agree the Pacers should be our fist option as trading partner although I also like the Hornets. Comes down to which trade can net you three rotation players. For me, it’s still about Myles Turner, who I think makes us unbeatable.
Give me Turner, Brogdon, and Hield over Hayward, Rozier, and Oubre. It’s kind of like choosing between being able to go big or small vs. super small ball. I don’t want AD playing center. I want him at the three and LeBron at the four. I want to supersize the Lakers.
I worry about Brogdon and Hayward’s injury histories but that’s the baggage we’re going to have to accept with the options we have. High ceiling usually has a very low floor too but beggars can’t be choosy. There’s some good players out there who can help us more than Russ. They’re probably overpaid and injury risks but could be major upgrades over this season’s starters.
While I do like Monk and agree he could end up being our starting two, I still worry about his defense. Ideally, we need big guards (6′ 5″ to 6′ 7″) like we had in the bubble. Also, Buddy is a proven veteran volume 3-point shooter while Monk is a young player on a minimum deal. Sorry, but I still like Buddy, He has elite 3-point gravity. LeBron and AD will be playing a lot of 4 on 4.
Bottom line, I want to go big, bigger than AD. While Davis and Turner weigh about the same, Davis has a high center of gravity whereas Turner has a low center of gravity and is much harder to move in the post and a better rim protector against centers like Jokic or Embiid. AD is best as a help shot blocker in the post or a 1-on-1 shot blocker on the perimeter where he can shut players down.
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I don’t understand your Prefence for Buddy if defense is your concern. Buddy doesn’t start because he is a defensive liability plus he is only 6’4. Malik is a better defender and he continued to improve as the season went along. 3 point shooting isn’t everything. Buddy is actually overpaid considering the rest of his game. Besides Malik has shot .401 and .391 from 3 the last 2 seasons, that’s good enough for me.
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I could be satisfied with a trade for Turner and Brogdon as we have to get a point guard in return and Turner is the player I want to make the Lakers bigger and to enable them to play big or small. He’s the modern version of Dwight and JaVale. Can protect the rim better and shoot the three. Buddy is the least important of the Pacers threesome because of his defense and yes, Monk could work as starting shooting guard.
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Hard for to me to see the Pacers hitting the “Full Rebuild” button simply because from the top on down they say they won’t. If that changes then, maybe, all of these deals have a chance. The one thing that makes me hope even a little is how hard Indy was hit by the injury and COVID bug (as were we but even worse) and Russ could have played in all 82. They may value durability and availability more than some franchises this summer.
Carlisle is another factor that I think is overlooked in this article, he’s going to want shooters for his own offensive schemes and has long designed defenses around one, or even two, weaker defenders and won titles that way. So, unless Rick and Buddy don’t see eye-to-eye, I think Indy keeps him until closer to the deadline. Buddy is also a huge issue for a team that already had plenty of defensive problems but that may not matter as much depending on whom the coach ends up being.
The same, unfortunately, goes for Myles Turner. I think they give him the starting job, make him the focal point of the defense and work on funneling correctly with whomever is on the team this summer and try it out. I get they have a rookie (sophomore next season) but Rick is a veteran’s kind of coach first and will try to bring him along. If the front office wants to accelerate that process…maybe they trade Turner. If they see things the way Rick wants (and who knows what that is. Jackson averaged 15 MPG on a team that traded it’s starting 4/5 and had the other one for only half the season. He started 15 out of 36 games played. Not sure that indicates he’s “The Man in the Paint” for them next season.
Myles will be an URFA next season so I think it quite likely that, should Indy struggle again like this season, they move him by the deadline so while a trade for him may not happen this summer one on down the line is certainly a possibility. But trading Turner and going with rookies and young guys alone is the kind of “Full Rebuild” they swear they won’t do. Just sayin’.
Lastly we come to Brogdon. After reading this article:
I’m less than inclined to believe they’ll move him. This is where Russ’s huge deal makes things more difficult. At $22.6 mil we need more from Indy (or some other team) to make a trade for him alone work. You could start to throw in role players (Torrey Craig and TJ McConnell almost get you there, for instance) and then you’re faced with moving from Russ for lesser talent that maybe Indy is more willing to part with and allows them to not go full rebuild.
All in all, Indy could make the most sense. As you say, your version of the trade is a grand slam walk off home run. Those don’t happen a lot and so makes me think the trade version of that is kind of unlikely. But, one thing could make it work is how durable Russ has proven to be and if Rick isn’t into holding onto Buddy or Myles as much as I think he may want to. Carlisle’s a hard guy to gauge at times.
Filed under could but unlikely. My (extended) two-bits.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Jamie. Looking like the Lakers might be able to trade Russ without including a pick to Pacers for Hield and Brogdon or Hornets for Hayward, Oubre, and Plumlee. Neither brings a championship but both leave us with THT, Nunn, and two picks plus new pieces. I think we’re going to be OK as long as Rob doesn’t try something really crazy.
Thing is teams looking to unload salary are used to have to pay to do it. With Russ, they get an opportunity to dump salary without having to give up a pick. In fact, in some deals, they can get a pick. And clear cap space when Russ’ contract expires. We’re going to have at least 3 or 4 reasonable offers for Russell Westbrook imo.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreLess than eighteen months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA championship in the bubble by surrounding superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis with a roster with great length and size at every position.
Since then, the Lakers made a series of major strategic decisions to improve the team’s offense and versatility that subsequently backfired, resulting in throwing away the system and personnel that had won the championship. The Lakers top priority this summer will be to use Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and their 2027 and 2029 first round picks to rebuild their roster with players who better complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers need new front office leadership, a new head coach with modern offensive chops, and serious upgrades to their starting lineup. Here are six steps to transform the Lakers from chumps to champs this offseason:
1. Hire Magic Johnson as Consultant and Visionary
The Lakers front office needs new leadership that can create a vision for the kind of team to build, coach to hire, and players to pursue and sell that vision to owner/governor Jeanie Buss who’s not willing to give up power.
The mess the Lakers find themselves in is a direct result of the chaos and dysfunction undermining the decision making process since Rob Pelinka took over from Magic Johnson as head of basketball operations 3 years ago. Instead of a normal management structure, Jeanie Buss listens to a ‘kitchen cabinet’ that includes VP of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka, trusted advisors Kurt and Linda Rambis, and former GM Magic Johnson.
Right now, the Lakers’ brain trust lacks leadership and vision. Jeanie Buss needs to respond to the concerns and criticism of the job being done by Rob Pelinka and consider hiring Magic Johnson as a consultant and advisor. Magic’s role would be to help Rob and Jeanie formulate and implement a vision for the Lakers team to be built for LeBron’s final years in purple and gold and the transition plan for moving on once James decides to retire.
Unlike three years ago, Magic would not work full-time or give up any of his current pursuits. Instead, he would help Rob and Jeanie create a team built around an achievable vision for creating the next Lakers dynasty.
2. Hire Rajon Rondo as Lakers’ New Head Coach
The Lakers need a new head coach who has the respect and confidence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the basketball intelligence, instincts, and competitive drive to develop and coach an NBA championship team.
With Frank Vogel’s 3-year reign as the Lakers head coach coming to an end, the Lakers need to move quickly to hire a new head coach this summer. The goal is to replace Vogel with a coach with better offense/defense balance. Whom the Lakers turn to to coach next season will be one of the most important decisions the front office makes this year. The Lakers should look to hire a new young head coach with upside rather than a retread.
The candidate whom I think would be the perfect head coach for the Lakers and for LeBron James and Anthony Davis is former Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo, who was third best Lakers player during the bubble championship. Rajon not only has the basketball smarts and Hall of Fame resume with two NBA championships but is also intimately familiar with what it takes as role players to optimize LeBron James and Anthony Davis as superstars.
The Lakers need to hire a new, inspirational voice to lead the team over the next decade. Rondo would be the perfect hire as the head coach to help the Lakers win their 18th NBA championship and launch another dynasty.
3. Reach Agreement with LeBron James on Extension
The key to the Lakers having a shot to win their 18th NBA championship next season is getting LeBron to sign a 1+1 extension that would guarantee the Lakers at least two more years with superstars LeBron and AD.
Since James will not be eligible to sign an extension until August 4th, the Lakers will need him to give them a verbal guarantee that he will sign the extension so the Lakers can make needed roster moves first week of July. Should LeBron decide not going to sign an extension at this time, the Lakers would then face a critical franchise decision: trade Klutch Sports clients’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis now or risk losing them for nothing.
All signs point to the Lakers and LeBron already having resolved any issues related to their close alliance with LeBron ready to sign the extension and the Lakers ready to spend whatever they need to make LeBron a winner. While there’s a chance the Lakers might opt to keep Russ and then use his $47 million expiring contract to create up to $35 million in cap space for summer 2023 so Lakers could sign a free agent superstar to replace LeBron.
The Lakers need to reconfirm their alliance with Klutch Sports not only to get LeBron to sign the extension but also to continue to building an NBA team that can win multiple championships with multiple Klutch clients.
4. Trade Russ and Two Picks for Three Rotation Players
The Lakers greatest priority this summer is to convert Russell Westbrook’s lucrative $47 million expiring contract and their 2027 and 2029 unprotected post-LeBron James first round draft picks into two or three starting players.
There are two potential options to the Lakers’ need to get bigger and better at every position: they can acquire a proven modern center who can protect the rim and stretch the floor or a bigger 3&D small forward or stretch three. The Lakers should pursue a trade for a stretch five to go with James, who would play the four, and Davis, who wants to play the three. Adding a third big at center rather than forward would make the Lakers more dangerous.
The top stretch five candidate the Lakers to pursue should be the Indiana Pacers’ center Myles Turner, who has been among the top shot blockers and rim protectors while also averaging four to five 3-point attempts per game. The other center target should be the Rockets’ center Christian Wood, who’s a more dynamic offensive player (17.9 ppg vs. Turner’s 12.9 ppg) but not as good on defense (1.0 bpg and 0.8 spg vs. Turner’s 2.8 bpg and 0.9 spg).
The Lakers greatest priority is ending the Westbrook experiment. They have multiple options to yield two or three starters for Westbrook and two first round picks from the Pacers, Hornets, Rockets, Knicks, and Thunder.
5. Trade THT and Nunn for Bigger 3&D Wing
Besides Westbrook and their two available first round draft picks, the Lakers also need to find a trading partner for Horton-Tucker and Nunn, two players the Lakers need to swap for a bigger 3&D small forward.
While the Lakers will try to find a deal for Russ and their first round picks that delivers three starters to complement LeBron and AD, they may need to trade THT and Nunn to land that third elusive starter they desperately need. The ideal trade target for the Lakers Horton-Tucker and Nunn duo would be a bigger 3&D wing earning between $10 and $15 million like the Knicks’ small forward Cam Reddish or a stretch center like the Pistons’ Kelly Olynyk.
While trading for a stretch center to start alongside LeBron and AD would enable the Lakers to play two-bigs like they did to win the championship in the bubble but with the added advantage of having a 3-point shooting big. Adding Reddish or Olynyk would unlock the same small-ball-on-steroids lineups with Anthony Davis at the five that were the key to the Lakers dominating play and winning their 17th NBA championship in the bubble.
Having the versatility to play super big or small will make the Lakers a better, more dangerous team than they were in the bubble. The addition of a forward like Reddish or a center like Olynyk will supersize the Lakers.
6. Bring Back Reaves, Johnson, Gabriel, and Monk for Continuity
After turning over their entire roster the last two seasons, the Lakers need to bring back three players with team options in Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, and Wenyen Gabriel and re-sign Malik Monk to create continuity.
While the lack of continuity has been a killer to the Lakers last two seasons, the Lakers need to be careful not to turnover the entire roster like they did last season and the season before. Turning over the roster kills continuity. The Lakers need to bring back six players from this year’s team: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel, and Malik Monk. James and Davis would be starters, other four off the bench.
Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn have both opted to accept player options of $47 million and $5 million respectively for next season and both are likely to be traded since they are not good fits next to LeBron and AD. Ideally, the Lakers should receive three rotation players for Westbrook and Nunn, so let’s add two more players to bring the roster to eight players with seven openings for free agents or possible multiple player trades.
Building a championship roster that benefits from continuity is a critical to legitimately compete for a championship in today’s NBA. Continuity means Lakers bringing back Reaves, Johnson, Gabriel, and Monk.
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While we may disagree on the ways by which the Lakers will improve themselves I think there would be nary a soul on the blog that would disagree that there are multiple, some would add massive, issues that need attention. To that I commend your relentless drive to find ways in which they could and maybe even should improve the outlook though some J don’t see as being overly realistic.
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1) hard for me to see Magic returning to the fold while Rob is still here in any capacity and since Jeannie has all but said Rib isn’t getting fired this summer (and given how Magic bailed on the Lakers during warm ups a couple years back) I don’t see this happening.
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2) I’m all in on this one. My first choice given his relationship w/AD and LBJ but would also mean the Lakers will find some way to move Russ. It’s not lost on me that we played worse as a team after we let Rajon go. While we were never good, we got worse for not having Rondo in people’s ear. I also don’t think he and Russ got along (as it seems Russ got along with roughly zero Lakers) and that helped pave his way out of town. A sub plan, for me, would be making Rondo 2nd in Command and promoting Handy.
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Good points about Russ and Rondo on same team. I love the idea of Rondo and think he may be finally ready to hang up his players’ sneakers for a set of coaches’ shoes. I just love his feistiness and BB smarts.
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3) No opinion either way. Like Stan and others have observed LeBron alone is no longer enough for even regular season wins. Unlike in season’s past I would at least take calls on potential LeBron trades at the deadline. I’m not anywhere near all in on Kontinuing or Klutch Konnection.
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4) The crux of our off-season. I would lower your expectations for what will come back in a Russ trade based on the tepid play, lack of teams that truly need to simply clear cap space this summer and the plain simple fact that nobody wants to do us any favors. Having said that As each leaked article emerges I am less inclined than ever to try and make it work with West brook on the roster.
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5) …Probably? I think we may just see THT brought back and Nunn traded to OKC or another team w/cap space to create enough of a room exception to retain Monk. Because he’s a URFA after next season and his poor play I think it will a lot harder to get good value for THT and it might be best to see if another coach can crack the THT code for the regular season.
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We’ll see. I see Russ expiring contract so attractive that the Lakers themselves might opt to keep him so they can replace LeBron with a free agent after the summer after next. I think Lakers will have multiple options to move Russ this summer.
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6) Wrong group of guys for continuity. We’re talking end of the bench players when we mention WG, SJ and McClung. Reaves could/should get minutes and maybe another coach would better utilize him. Monk has always been the number one “guy we gotta keep” and as such, w/no Bird Rights, will be the most challenging to do so. I think we can but we need to move quick.
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You’re right that Rob is not going to get fired this summer but he is on the hot seat because of how this season ended. Rob would quit if Magic was brought back over him but I think he would accept Magic in an advisory role to help him and Jeanie create and implement a vision for the last few years of LeBron’s reign as a Laker and the transition when he eventually retires. Too big of questions to leave to Rob and Kurt. We need Magic’s vision and salesmanship with free agents to fix the current problems and chart a path to another dynasty.
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Perhaps I missed something but what is Magic’s “vision”? That our star players should play a lot? He didn’t convince LeBron to sign here, James and Klutch chose LA. Vision? Like the vision to let Randle walk for nothing? To quit on TV before the team he was in charge of was going to play? He’s already in a bin-paid advisory role, Jeannie has said as much. The Magic thing makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. It’s a retread of a bad idea brought back to life for no reason. We don’t need another nebulous big idea personality just like we don’t need a cadre of high energy, gritty role players. We need someone who is going to put real work. No more lame sloganeers.
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We’ll have A2D, Jamie. I want to give more importance to Magic’s whispers to Jeanie to make sure Rob does the right thing. We saw this season how the ‘get the players and then find the system’ approach works. Now it’s time to create a system or identity or vision and then go out and get the players and coach who best fit that vision.
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Thanks, Jamie. No doubt there are monster issues to be resolved and probably numerous options still to come up to be addressed. We all want the same thing but have different prayers and hopes how we get there. Going to be a wild and wacky summer for sure.
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My biggest fear is Jeanie. She has admitted that she doesn’t really know the ins and outs of the basketball operations, so she relies on people she trusts and that hasn’t worked out well.. In a perfect world she would turn it over to Jessie and Joey who have proven that they understand the game. Let them decide on a GM, a coach and approving trades.
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She’s the head of the snake as far as the Lakers go at this point. Frankly, she’s the reason why bringing back Magic makes sense. Of all of the kitchen cabinet cooks, Magic is the one she listens to the most, more than Rob, Linda, or Kurt.
Truth is Lakers aren’t going to bring in a pro like Ujiri so our best bet is to insert somebody who at least has a vision for the Lakers and the ability to sell it to free agents. Just don’t clog him up with running the department or managing the salary cap You can hire others or let Rob do that.
Seriously, you want to get Jeanie under control, give her Magic to be the visionary she needs. Rob showed he can’t be the visionary. That has opened the door for Jeanie to ask Magic to return in a different capacity this time. It’s something that could and should happen imo.
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Instead of arguing about points I don’t agree with I’ll stick to the points I do, I mean I’ve pretty much stated the areas of disagreement 😂 First, while I am not chomping at the bit to bring Magic back, he is a better option than Rob. Considering like you stated they are unlikely to bring an outsider in, I’m more comfortable with Magic. I also like the idea of Rondo, he wouldn’t be the first to go straight from playing to coaching. Although I would want to surround him with some experience. Would Handy stay on? I certainly hope so. He’s a very good teacher and we will likely have several young players on next years roster. Which brings me to the young guys, unlike Jamie I have seen enough from them to think they could be valuable rotation pieces. Especially Stanley who was probably our best perimeter defender this year. He even showed some offense. Iike Austin he needs to bring his 3 point shooting at least up to the league average of .35ish percent. Sometimes it just takes longer for players to develop. Caruso spent 3 years in the G league and a two way contract before he got his varsity contract at 25, same age as Stanley and Gabriel is only 24. So I believe there is optimism to be had there. If THT isn’t traded I’m of the belief that at 21 he can be developed as well. He seemed to be either really good or bad. So I saw a lot of promise in him. Frank didn’t do a good job of using him. He needs the ball and he usually was out there with either Russ or LeBron. As far as trading Russ I’m between your sky high optimism and nothing happening. I believe they will find a deal, and it may makes us better but I don’t see anything that will lift us to the top of the west. A healthy Clippers and Warriors along with the Suns and a Grizzly team that went 20 and 2 without Ja all seem to me better then what we can land in a trade.
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Aloha, Michael,
Like I said somewhere today, the blog and social media are most active when controversy rules as it has with the Lakers this season.
Oddly, however, by the end of the season, most informed Lakers fans generally agree on most things, fav or hated players being the exception.
How full or empty the glass is really the major difference in opinions in most cases when it comes to me. I can’t help loving out-of-the-box solutions or ideas. And my goal is to create interest more than collect confirmation.
Conversations always inform and educate. I’ve changed my opinion of LeBron playing the three after listening to you although my solution and yours are still not the same.
Anyway, no need to not post where you disagree with me but it’s also nice to know when we do agree. Gracias.
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1. Magic should be at most a figurehead, to take meetings with marquee free agents. Shouldn’t need his services for some time, but I’m all for keeping Buck happy and at arm’s length.
2. Rondo has managed to burn bridges and piss off everyone he’s ever had the opportunity to work with. Why anyone would think he should just jump into the head coaching role anywhere, much less the NBA’s flagship, is puzzling to say the least. Let him make his bones as an assistant, and if history holds, at least you can quietly send him packing.
3. If Lebron would like to take a Duncan-esque extension, hey I’m down! If it’s 97 million of untradeable albatross deal for a guy going into his 20th season with more mileage on him than any player in history, has shown no willingness to loosen his grip on roster influence, can be counted on to miss 20-30 games a year, play no defense, pick his spots on offense, and passively aggressively lay blame for everything that goes wrong elsewhere, yeah, it’s a no for me dawg.
4. From the sound of it, sacrificing every asset might get the team rid of Russ and get back 2 quality rotation players. Probably won’t move the needle to get this team a puncher’s chance. If they can get back 3 starter caliber guys, then jump at the chance.
5. Hopefully some GM saw his 40 point outlier and gets excited.
6. Sure, someone has to round out the roster.
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Good response, Stan. It would obviously take a miraculous outcome for a team that missed the playoffs this season to transform themselves into a championship contender this summer but I think we have a shot if LeBron and AD can stay healthy. However, we do need to upgrade the other starting positions. Reaves, Monk, Johnson, and Gabriel are great reserves but not championship level starters.
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Lakers Go From Chumps to Champs!
1. Hire Magic as Team Visionary
2. Hire Rajon Rondo as Head Coach
3. Agreement to Extension with LeBron
4. Trade Russ & Picks for Three Players
5. Trade THT & Nunn for Bigger 3&D Wing
6. Bring Back Players for Continuity
https://t.co/lxI32hYjAA— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 11, 2022
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read More
The Los Angeles Lakers will face major challenges this summer as they try to fix the roster and coaching problems that derailed this season and left the Lakers a shocking and disappointing 11th out of 15 NBA teams in the West.
More troubling than their record is the Lakers lack of valuable trading chips heading into a critical summer where they desperately need to rebuild their roster back to championship caliber with LeBron James’ retirement looming. Besides finding and hiring a new head coach and staff, the Lakers must find a trading partner willing to salary dump three rotation players for Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract and two post-LeBron first round draft picks.
Here are the four questions to which the Lakers will need answers to before they can decide exactly what to do to fix their roster in terms of specific players and find a new head coach who fits the needs of the new roster.
1. Can Lakers Still Win Championship with LeBron James and AD?If yes, the Lakers should move forward to convince LeBron James to sign a two-year extension with a player option for second year, lining up his and AD’s contracts and guaranteeing the Lakers two more years of both superstars.
Note that LeBron not signing an extension sends the Lakers on a different set of options that include moving forward but returning to the subject before the trade deadline or possibly trading LeBron and even AD if the Klutch alliance is broken.
If no, the Lakers should consider trading LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis this summer. The two superstars could generate enough young talent and draft picks for the Lakers to jumpstart building their next championship team.
2. Does LeBron Signing Extension Change What Lakers Do This Summer?
If yes, the Lakers will then have the security of LeBron James and Anthony Davis under contract for two more years, enabling them to make a major investment in more salaries and luxury taxes to upgrade the roster to championship level,
If no, the Lakers can either decide to gamble the moves you make will be enough to convince LeBron to sign the extension or decide to cut your losses and trade LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis this summer or at the trade deadline.
Just a note about timing. Since LeBron is not eligible to sign an extension until August 4th, the Lakers may require him to verbally agree to sign the extension before making any long-term moves dependent upon him being a Laker.
3. Is There a Chance Lakers Keep Russell Westbrook Next Season?
If yes, it would be because they would not give up a first round draft pick to move him or decided to take advantage of the cap space when Russ’ $47 million comes off the books the summer after next when LeBron and AD will be the only Lakers.
If no, the Lakers should trade Russ and their two first round picks for three quality rotation players, for example the Pacers’ Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, and T.J. McConnell. They should not spend a first round pick to move Russ.
If the Lakers make their two first round picks unprotected, they might be able to get more for Russ and his expiring contract than Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrez Harrell, and #22 draft pick who was Isaiah Jackson.
If the Lakers couldn’t find an acceptable trade partner to take Russ without giving up a pick and keeping him for his expiring contract was not worth it, the Lakers last option would be to waive-and-stretch Westbrook’s $47 million contract.
4. Do the Lakers Need to Hire a New Head Coach Right Away?
If yes, it would be because the Lakers did not want an ongoing coaching search get in the way of signing free agents and negotiating trades and because there was a candidate like Quin Snyder or Rajon Rondo whom they wanted to get locked up.
Ideally, the Lakers can sign their choice as their next head coach as soon as the season ends and before free agency and the offseason trade period open up. Could be important for free agents to know who is going to coach them on the Lakers.
If no, it would be because the Laker did not have a candidate they were ready to sign or because they wanted to wait to see what the final roster looked like before deciding on who would be the best coach for the roster the Lakers ended up with.
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Four Questions To Which The Lakers Need Answers To Decide What To Do
1. Can Lakers Still Win with LeBron &AD?
2. Does LeBron Extension Change Things?
3. Is There Chance Lakers Keep Westbrook Next Season?
4. Do Lakers Need New Head Coach Right Away?https://t.co/3TvxR0fA4O— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 6, 2022
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1. Not at a high level without a significant upgrade of supporting cast which is now next to impossible.
2. Only if he extends at a steep discount.
3. Sure, mostly due to lack of options.
4. Yes, if for nothing more than to breathe some fresh air into the building.
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FEATURED POST
5 Things: It’s the Simple Things
The world of sport is funny, so much is made of nuanced stats and metrics. Graphs and formulas for how you can win populate blogs and websites. “Experts” blab on and on about how analytics has changed sports forever. I don’t buy it. Why? Because when you look at who won and how it usually […]
FEATURED PODCAST
NBA Observations- Big Money Spent For The Clippers And Heat, Are The Lakers Next?
The guys from the Lakers Fast Break return for some NBA Observation as they share thoughts on the recent big-money extensions for Miami coach Erik Spoelstra and the Clipper’s Kawhi Leonard. Does this mean the Lakers will be opening up their wallet a little more as well? Plus after Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic’s huge rant after the Lakers game because of the fourth-quarter free throw disparity, we ponder if Darvin Ham will ever show that kind of energy if he remains as the guys on the sidelines for LA. We’re back talking some big $$$, and wondering if the Lakers are ready to go on a spending spree? Find out our thoughts on the latest Lakers Fast Break podcast!
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The views and opinions expressed on the Lakers Fast Break are those of the panelists or guests themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lakers Fast Break or its owners. Any content or thoughts provided by our panelists or guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, anyone, or anything.
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FEATURED TWEET
Lakers stars used speed and space of transition as stage for talent
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1437491268544835595
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Lol, maybe if they had kept Frank. As it is one imagines Rob would at least pay his new coach the courtesy of asking what kind of players he would want on the team…