The Lakers continue their homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. A Matt Ryan 3-pointer put the game into overtime and in the extra session, the Lakers did just enough to pull out a 120-117 victory. Tune in as LakerTom from lakerholics.com and Joe Soro from lakersball.com detail thoughts with Gerald about the game, plus you know Joe and Tom are going to have some thoughts on the Brooklyn Nets, trade targets for the Lakers, and more on our latest Lakers Fast Break podcast!
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So I went to this game. My wife’s company has season seats and I got the hookup to take a close friend for his birthday. Here are my observations:
1. We’re not going to win many games when AD and Bron are the 4th and 5th best guys out there, but it happened. Lonnie Walker filling it up was nice but really didn’t feel like we were watching a star in the making or anything. If he’s your best guy, you’re probably not winning a whole lot. Nonetheless, the place was rocking. Regardless of how this season turns out, this’ll be a cherished memory. MATTY ICE BABY!!!!
2. Bron as an elite player is pretty much over. The energy, body language, and lack of pop was glaringly obvious, not just to a hater like me. Everyone in our row just groaned when he’d settle for jumpers. Or pound the air outta the ball. Or not be able to impose his will on a game. Hopefully there’s another gear he’s saving, but when the chips were down, he just looked like a decent NBA player. Years 21 & 22 are looking to be very painful. It’ll be another Russ albatross contract situation.
3. AD is either more hurt or just permanently jacked up. His movement just feels stifled, labored, and not at all fluid. His freethrows look pretty much perfect, so it’s hard to understand why the jumper is so broken. Anything outside 7′ seems improbable, and around the basket, if it’s not a dunk, it’s a coin toss. It’s gotta be in his head. He needs a good shrink, hypnotist, life coach, or something if he wants to secure another bag.
4. The Pels at full strength are a mile above this squad. Throw BI and Herb Jones on here and it’s probably not close. Zion started imposing his will late and there wasn’t anything anyone could do. He looked up one possession and saw Reaves guarding him and was at the rim before any of us could say “oh sh!t.” CJ is nice. Dude is underrated, to say the least. They could have 3 allstars and could challenge for a top record in the west. Their roster could compete with anyones, and if things break their way, could be a real contender.
5. Russ was fine. Not sure why he sat, but without his solid game, they’re not in it. His salary is the worst part of him. He can probably get himself a nice mid-level deal playing like this.
So it was a fun game, but the pieces on this squad just don’t fit any more. They’re old, overpaid, physically beat up, and poorly constructed. There’s maybe 4-5 guys who’ll be in the league in 2-3 years. That’s no way to win. Flipping for just a Turner and Hield wouldn’t make this bunch substantially better. They need a miracle.
Hey man, glad you got to go to a win and see that ridiculous shot! Good observations on the team. My feeling is they stick with Russ for the season. The more this works to any degree it allows them to save face, keep the picks, and restock next summer in a meaningful with, possible even with Russ on the team. (I can hear LT’s eye-roll from here).