Man, I gotta say…Rob did his THANG with these roster moves. Seems like somebody finally kicked Kurt & Linda outta the office and let D.Ham in. There is alotta thought & planning & PURPOSE behind the construction of this team as it stands and it all coincides with the way D.Ham had us playing last season. These dudes are long, athletic, and active. I’m thinking the defense is gonna be right there at the top of the league. We didn’t invest a huge amount in a starting center or “stretch 5” because it feels like D.Ham wants AD to be in the post full-time and doesn’t want his centert shooting 3s. Jaxson Hayes is the definition of a good, backup 5. We didn’t add a whole lotta shooting but D.Ham didn’t have us shooting a buncha 3’s anyway (even with Malik “The Lazer” Beasley on the court). Only question seems to be D.Russell (AR is staying, even if he signs another offer it costs us the same in years 1 & 2). Gabe Vincent doesn’t have the regular season stats but he proved to be the much better playoff performer. I’m guessing we keep D.Russell frankly because there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for him.
I’m very encouraged by what’s been done so far. We’ve upgraded substantially, kept guys who showed their mettle last season, and didnt mortgage the future to do it. Anxious to see what D.Ham and his staff can do with the development of this squad with an entire training camp and season to work with.
It’s remarkable how well Pelinka has operated during the trade deadline last season and this summer. I was afraid we’d blown it when Brook and Bruce were gone but I love the move for Vincent. Just need to bring back Dlo on the 1+1 deal so we can move him at the deadline. Can’t have him walk.
What’s cool is the Lakers still have options on how to order these transactions. There’s even a chance we bring back Beasley or Bamba on a reduced contract. Rob working hard to balance this roster while staying young so we are a prime landing spot for a superstar when LeBron retires.
Rob has done a lot to redeem himself from years 2 & 3 on the job when I really couldn’t fathom what he was doing. This feels like a Coach Ham (or Vogel, honestly) style team. Guys who don’t mind the grind, will let our best players do what they do best, and can go big or small. Some of the project players may not pan out, some guys might not fully live up to their deals but Rob did the job he has well.