Aloha,
Just now recovering from the Clippers loss. That was a hard one to take because it was a winnable game without LeBron. And we don’t have many more of those coming up.
The good news was we stormed back from 17 down. The bad news was we played inconsistent basketball yet again for 3 quarters and stunk up the place in the 3rd…again.
The good news was we held the Clippers to 17 in the 4th. The bad news was 7 of those points came in the last 50 seconds.
The good news was that Russ led that 4th quarter push. The bad news was he helped build that deficit through the first 3 quarters with only a couple of points and assists and his usual suspect defense.
The good news is we got a very good performance from our bench. We finally saw Trevor who was a plus 14 play the kind of defense we had hoped to see. The bad news is Melo went down with an injury, removing our best 2nd unit scoring option.
The good news is we shot 25 free throws to the Clippers 11. The bad news is we missed 8 and lost by 1.
The good news is AD played like the best center in the league again. The bad news is we waisted the effort with the same old mistakes that we repeat over and over again.
My glass half full spilled over a couple of weeks ago and it’s now bone dry. I don’t think we can make a big time trade and honestly I’m not sure if any of the big names on the trade market would translate into a championship. As for the buyout market, there hasn’t been a whisper of who might be available. There are just so many teams still in the hunt for a play in slot, that there may not be many vets that are bought out.
So can anything be done? I guess you can never say never. Of course nothing can happen without health. But beyond that health a few things need to happen.
I think it’s important to land one more player. I would look at Kenrich Williams. A vastly underpaid 3 and D guy that could bolster our SF rotation. And he’s under contract for another year that would be golden for a cap strapped team like the Lakers. The Pacers Holiday would be also a good addition. Another 3 and d guy that can defend both wing positions. Unfortunately he’s not vaccinated and I doubt anyone trades for him unless he does. Both guys can be had for draft picks and filler.
I look at Nunn as a major add to the rotation. He is ramping up again and with the all star break coming up I think he could be good to go down the stretch. I believe he was the guy that was going to be starting in Bradley’s spot before the injury. He will be an upgrade over Avery in every conceivable area. His return will be better than just about any realistic trade we can make.
THT and Austin both need to find more consistency. Both are young and will continue to make mistakes but it would be helpful if they can cut down on them. Both need more consistent offense. On defense it would be great if THT could become more like Austin in team defense schemes and it would be great if Austin to get a little bit more like THT on ball because quick guards blow by him a lot.
Trevor and Stanley. Trevor is simple. Show us that defense you showed against the Clippers. As for Stanley, raise your 3 point % to at least 35/36%. He maybe our best point of attack defender but he’s been wasted a bit at the 4 and 5 where he is a bit undersized. LeBron coming back allows Stanley to take on big wing and that’s what we need the most.
Can we find a small role for Wayne? We still need 3 point shooting and it’s asking a lot to sit him for 4 or 5 games then expect him to come in and hit shots. If not, trade him. He’s maybe the only one of our bench sitters that could bring at least a pick back. A lot of teams need shooting.
If we had a few more wins under our belts I would say, hold LeBron out until after the break but we are not in the position to do that. We will probably rest him today but it’s important that he’s back after that. Every single game is precious. As for the all star game, I wish he wouldn’t play but if he does I hope it’s just a token appearance.
The last piece of good news is the all star break will give this team some practice time. This is important considering we haven’t had anytime to do so with all of our players available. We won’t have a lot of games left to find a rhythm as team so the break will be extremely important.
Good assessment, Michael. I’m hoping we can still trade THT and Nunn. I especially do not want to see Talen waste any more possessions. Add one player and he should be the current player to go out of the rotation. Can’t deliver at either end of the court. Should have been traded last year in another Pelinka brain fart.
The Lakers need to get creative and find a trading partner who can give them players to help right now. I have zero faith in THT or Nunn as players and think the absolute worst thing the Lakers could do right now is some version of stand pat. If they do that, they will miss the playoffs and handcuff themselves from upgrading the team this summer.
Moves made now to free up options this summer is maybe more important than making the playoffs right now. Lakers are screwed and have nobody to blame but themselves, especially if they leave themselves in this same dumb situation this summer.
Why Nunn Tom? Looks like he is ready to come back. He was productive with the Heat, he was the talk of trading camp and was considered one of the steals of free agency. He could be as big of an addition as any realistic trade options available. He also will definitely replace Avery in the starting lineup at some point.
LOL. One day, Nunn is worthless. The next day he’s your savior. I’ve always been tempted to keep Nunn because I tend to see him as a good fit for what we need. And there’s a good chance we might be able to keep him. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to trade him for more size and depth at small forward.
I feel the completely opposite about not trading THT. I woiuld trade him for the best we could get right now, even if that were only Muscala and Williams. All THT does is screw up every lineup Frank puts him in with his predictable poor shooting and defense. Guy almost never anticipates where his defender wants to go and has zero abiliity to stop or stay in front of his man.
He and Avery Bradley both need to go or Frank Vogel will play them until we lose in the playin or first or second round. They’re both players who do not belong in a championship team’s rotation. They’re why Frank Vogel should be fired tomorrow and Handy given the team.
Again, words in my mouth. Lol. When have I ever once said Nunn is worthless? I said he isn’t going to get us a big name. He is a free agent this summer. And a package of him and THT can’t complete with some of the other packages. I’ve always maintained he’s a very good player and over and over and over have said he could be a big addition once he’s back.
By the way, the reason I don’t our package will fly is more to do with THT’s inconsistent play and our 2027 draft pick, then Nunn.
Nevertheless, Nunn alone is not going to bring back a player worth the TP MLE. Combine that with his injury status and he is considered to be the least valuable of our three trading chips. Your opinion from the beginning has been that none of our trading chips were valuable and it appears you may be right.
Since he is reportedly been upgraded to game time decision tonight, maybe we’ll see first hand. Lakers would be smart tonight to just rest LeBron and AD and let THT and Nunn and Russ start and hope they play so well the Knicks will want to trade for them.
Love to see Russ, Monk, LeBron, Johnson, and AD tonight but we all know Frank’s boyfriend AB will start again no matter how poorly he has played or how terrible his stats are for the season. By the time the deadline comes, THT will have played himself completely out of the Lakers’ rotation and become more untradeable than Russ.
Tom gets real chippy around the trade deadline. Wants to see movement but I can’t remember the last major in-season trade we made other than Pau Gasol.
Sooooo it’s safe to assume the Frank Vogel honeymoon period is over?
I kid. He’s half a coach in the modern NBA and worse he had the players he liked best, and helped improve their game, traded away. I still have far more ire for Pelinka but Frank will be the first domino to fall after the season ends. They won’t fire him now, not unless we fall out of the playin.
Tom you’ve been as much a proponent of Nunn and his ability to help grease a big trade as anyone, lol. Not trying to stir the pot but he’s been among the Calvary Lakers in print and on podcasts. I’m amazed he could just come out of the woodwork like this…feels odd to me. This whole season has rubbed me the wrong way from the summer to now though so I may not be the best one to have an unbiased viewpoint.