Aloha we won 3 quarters by 21 points! There was a little let up in the third when the Mav’s went a little run but we held them to 51. Freaking 51 points! Enough said…

Aloha,

Another winnable game down the drain. We have left so many wins on the table that if we don’t make even the play in, it will be as much on the team as as the broken roster Rob assembled.

It’s clear that the league has caught up to our defense. We are so undersized now that teams just take our tiny guys into the paint and shoot over them. This actually started before AD went down. I think it started when Darvin went to the small two PG line up. This moves Lonnie who is only 6’ 4” to SF. PatBev does a good job of staying in front of guys but it doesn’t help when they shoot over him. And the worst part is our tiny guys shield the shooters from our bigs so they can’t even challenge.

As good as LeBron has been on offense, he is equally bad on defense. He doesn’t close out and leaves his man wide open. And he doesn’t rotate when Bryant or Gabriel leave their man to challenge. This results in a lot of inside baskets and offensive rebounds.

While Troys offense has not been good, we were better defensively when he started because he is bigger. I would love it if we at least started Austin , he is a little bigger. Although that in turn hurts our 2nd unit. All I know is if we do make a trade it better be for a wing player with size or it won’t matter.

Aloha,

In the 4 Since AD got hurt Thomas has averaged:
17.5 pts
7.75 rebounds
2 assists
7 for 11 from 3 and one of the misses was a half court heave to beat the clock.

This has been done in 28 minutes a game. Not bad for a back up center.

Aloha,

There is really something weird going on here. The MRI has been done and evidently he has received 2nd opinion done. I don’t understand the mystery. Either it’s serious or not.

I believe that all of his injuries can be traced to his growth spurt. Evidently he went from 6’ 3” to 6’ 10” in less then a year. Perhaps his body just isn’t structurally sound because of it. And that’s not unusual. Both KD and BI had similar growth spurts and both have had injury issues throughout their careers.

Aloha,

I wrote at the beginning of the year that after health, it was going to be the other guys that would determine how far this team could go, even with trades.

Last night the others stepped up. Once in a while we get a complete team effort. But it has usually happened when LeBron or AD wasn’t playing. We had several team games when LeBron was out. Just a couple of observations.

LeBron had a very efficient game and thankfully he only attempted 4 threes. One of the major reasons we won was because LeBron didn’t try and play hero ball. He played in the flow of the game. It’s a major reason why we won.

Russ was the engine that drove the win. The dude is relentless. On both sides of the ball. It’s actually been his defensive effort that’s been the biggest surprise for me. He had 12 assists to 4 turnovers. But all the turnovers were in the first half. And what was interesting was LeBron let Russ drive the team, he basically stepped aside and let Russ be Russ. And it worked. Yes you have to live with a few WTF moments with him but overall he was the biggest reason we won.

Now the others. Thomas Bryant was huge. He had missed the better part of the last 2 years because of a knee injury and it wasn’t fair to expect him to come in and be the guy he was before he got. Hurt. It takes time to rediscover your game a long with the mental aspect after a serious injury. We have seen flashes of his old self when he’s been given the chance but last night he truly put it all together. We got too see why he is considered one of the best rim running bigs in the game. And not just on the offensive side. He was down the court fast on defense as well. He out played the Joker in the 2nd half with 16 point but I thought he also defended him well. He was in good position and his 7’ 6” wingspan created havoc and the Joker threw the ball away a couple of times. And he is relentless on the offensive boards as well. Game ball to Thomas.

I watched a g league game a few days ago and Watched Max Christy nail 6 three pointers. I always thought he looked ahead of the curve on defense for a 19 year old but his shooting had been spotty. Last night not only was his defense on point, I love the blocked 3 on the close out, but he nailed a couple of big 3’s. While he is not as big as I would like on the wing, he is 6’ 6” with long arms so it does help. Has Jesse Buss found another hidden gem? It’s looking like he might have.

We finally saw what Robb was probably hoping for when he brought in PatBev and Dennis. They both played well on the defensive side of the ball but they both hit shots. Both of these guys are capable of these kind of games every night. Basketball is as much about the mental game and confidence as it is about skill. Obviously both of these guys have lacked confidence. Hopefully this game can help them regain that confidence. Perhaps they could even go from salary filler in a trade to trade targets for teams needing guard help.

There really isn’t much left to say about Austin. He plays like a crafty 10 year vet. He does so many little things on both sides of the ball that you keep forgetting that this is just his 2nd year. And he never forces anything. That’s key. He knows who he is and stays inside his box. While he may never quite be the defender Alex is because he’s not as athletic, he is still very good and makes up for it with his crafty offensive game.

Just a little shout out for Troy Brown, he has been playing very well without scoring. Last night he was a plus 12 without scoring at all. He is doing it on defense.

I heard it mentioned last night that Gabriel is about ready to come back. Which is great news. We really have missed his size and energy. With AD possibly missing sometime we will need all the size we can get. I would love to see Gabriel and Thomas running together with Russ. It would be a track meet.

If we play team ball like we did last night against a quality opponent we still should win a few with AD out. And moving forward with AD this needs to be the template for this team. We tend to rely to much on our stars. It’s up to the coaches and stars themselves to make our approach a team approach.

Aloha,

The eyes of the league are on the Raptors and what they are going to do. Will they blow it up? Or will they look fix their roster. If they decide to blow it up I doubt that Russ and our picks could land multiple high end players. But what if they look to fix their Roster?
If that’s the case perhaps the Lakers could help.

It’s no secret that I love OG Anunoby. It’s also no secret that I love Lonnie Walker. But our biggest need is size on the wing. And the Raptors biggest need is at guard. They literally have no back up point guard playing. I wonder if a package of Lonnie, Nunn, Damien and a protected pick would interest them. While I would hate to lose Lonnie’s 3 point shooting but OG fills a bigger need. Nunn gives them a playable reserve point guard and Jones gives them depth at center which they also lack. They can put Scottie Barnes back at his natural SF position and either play Trent Jr at the starting 2.

The deal is we may lose Lonnie anyway this summer, while OG is only a year older and is under a reasonable contract for a couple more years. I doubt any combination of Beverly and Nunn would be appealing to the Raptors but getting an athletic young player averaging 16 a game and shooting 39% might intrigue them.

Aloha,

Christmas and the trade season is upon us. But unlike Christmas, we may have to wait several weeks for the presents under our basketball tree.

I had been thinking that it could be a while before any trade materializes. Then I saw an interview with Jovon Buha, the best reporter for the Athletic and he shares the same opinion.

This is a strange year in the NBA. If you look at the standings only 5 to maybe 6 teams can look at their rosters and conclude they have no chance for the playoffs. With the standings so tightly bunched together, there are 25 teams that feel they have a chance. While it’s always championship or bust for the Lakers, there are plenty of squads that just making the playoffs is a huge win. The Kings are a perfect example.

This creates a real problem for the Lakers, they may desperately want to make a trade but there are 24 other buyers looking to upgrade their squad for a playoff run and only 5 sellers. This gives teams like the Pistons a great deal of leverage. They can wait for the bids to roll in. Unfortunately our distant 1st round picks isn’t as valuable to them. They are building around 20 to 22 year olds. Those players will be 25 to 27 when the first pick can be spent and 27 to 29 when the 2nd can be used. It will make sense for them to hold out for more immediate help.

Now there will be buyers willing to trade for players that elevate their playoff chances. Again our firsts will not do them any good this year. As for teams blowing it up to rebuild. That could happen but I think these teams can do better then our 1st for high end players. There will probably be better offers for even mid level players like Kuz.

Jamie has predicted trades will be happening closer to the trade deadline and with the current unusual playoff race that very well could be the case. The only trade I believe could actually be on the table is the Fournier/Reddish deal. The sticking point was reported that the Lakers wanted a first to do that deal. Which makes sense, considering the Knicks would probably have to pay to move Fournier with anyone else. For the Knicks , Reddish seems to be the compensation.

As I have stated before I am hoping to find a Forward with size. That is my wish. That maybe realistic. I just don’t believe we can find a trade for a star with what we have or add several high end role players with what we have to offer. Hopefully opportunities open up sooner then later. And who knows, perhaps new names pop up on the trade market. The more players on the market, the better for the Lakers chances are of landing someone that can truly help.

Aloha,

We lost the game on the 3 point line. It is one of the major themes of this year. Now the chatter is that the Lakers need to trade for shooting. And I whole heartedly agree. But here is my question. Will we utilize shooters if we can land them?

We have not utilized our shooters since LeBron arrived. Shooters need to shoot and the guys we have brought in have not gotten many shots. I remember last year when Ellington would come in, play 8 minutes and not get a shot. It drove me crazy.

Last night we took 28 3’s. Lebron, a 30% 3 point shooter was 3 for 11. Russ who is even worse was 1-6 from 3, including a couple of soul crushing misses in OT. Thats 17 of our 28 taken by two of our worst 3 point shooters. Lebron let the clock run down at the end of regulation and hoisted up a 3 when all we needed was one point.

Now Lonnie is our best 3 point shooter. 39% on 5 shots a game. He was 1-1 last night. Austin is pretty good too. He got two attempts last night.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful while we search for that magical 3 point shooter. We actually create shots for the guys on our roster that can actually make them now? If we do finally bring in a shooter or two, we better find a way to use them.

Aloha

Down 15 at the half. PatBev 2 missed layups. Russ 2 missed lay ups. LeBron 1 missed lay up. That’s 10 points right there. Is there a stat for missed lay ups because the Lakers would be at the top. By the way, Lonnie is our best 3 point shooter. Zero attempts. 2 shot total. While Russ is 1 for 6. Again, WTF!

Aloha,

It was good to get a win last night. It is always tough getting that last win on a long road trips. And even though they have a bad record the Pistons play people tough. 5 of their wins have come against playoff teams. So a win is a win. I was hoping for a 3-3 road trip but I was disappointed that the combination of the flu, an ankle injury and Refs cost us at least one more win. Maybe two.

Bogdanovic went insane in the 3rd quarter. Part of it was some amazing shots but part of it was that he was defended by tiny guys that he took to the rim or just shot over. Now after that performance it’s all about trading for him.

But how would he look on the Lakers? He gets up around 6 threes a game with the Pistons. Would he even get that with the Lakers? This offense is built to get the best open shot. It isn’t designed for a sniper. After a slow start Lonnie is shooting 39% from 3. He has actually shot better around 45% then Bogdanovic over the last month on 5.3 threes a game. Austin had a slow start as well but he is close to Lonnie and he gets 3 threes a game. How many would Bogdanovic get? How much better would we be?

If we are going to spend a unprotected 1st I would rather we spend it on a big wing that can hit a few 3’s. A wing that can defend the big wings in the league instead of PatBev. I love PatBev’s tenacity but he is just too small.

While Bogdanovic can shoot, he isn’t much of a defender, although he might be a bit better with the Lakers because Like Gorbet in Utah, AD would have his back.

Coach Ham’s offense with the Bucks relied on multiple guys capable of knocking down a 3. They didn’t feature a sniper and the Lakers are similar. For my money if we are willing to give up an unprotected 1st it would be better spent on a big younger wing that can hit a 3 like Kuz or OG Anunoby. Or perhaps even a lesser trade for Reddish or Obre, then use the first for someone else.

One of the main reasons I was apposed to trading for Buddy was because I questioned how many looks he would actually get with the Lakers. And his defense wasn’t good enough if he wasn’t going to get a lot of them. I kind of feel the same about Bogdanovic. In Lonnie and Austin we have 2 really good 3 point shooters that are only getting 8 looks combined. Unless the Lakers change things up to feature a gunner, the better move is bringing in a better defensive wing even if he is only an mediocre 3 point shooter.

Aloha,

I was going to say the Lakers should have won. But the better description is the 76ers should have lost. Their melt down was even worse then our Pacer melt down. Just a few random thoughts.

The fix was on. This was one of the most lopsided refereeing jobs I have seen for awhile. A few of those calls on AD were beyond ticky tack. I thought Darvin should have challenged that 3rd one for sure. No foul. Now Embid was allowed to shove AD to the ground on his shot. Crickets.

AD was amazing again. He had 31 points in 31 minutes in regulation. He was a plus 26 at the end of regulation. Once he able to play free in the 4th, he just took over. A lot of Embid damage was with AD off the floor. A lot of AD’s damage was with Embid on the floor. I don’t blame that one missed free throw on the loss. He was the reason we were in that position.

Unfortunately, we have seen many more games like yesterdays from LeBron then good ones. 23 points on 22 shots. 1-8 from 3 4-8 from the line. And again lazy perimeter defense. LeBron has to be better then this to give us a chance.

Austin and Lonnie went a combined 7 for 11 from 3. LeBron and Russ went 2 for 13. What’s wrong this this picture?

Austin was amazing. He is really playing like an experienced vet. While he deserves to start, I have struggled with the idea. We need something for our 2nd unit. As long as he is getting minutes and closing I’m okay with him coming off the bench. It’s kind of the same situation as Lamar. Definitely a starter but he was important for the bench unit.

I hate starting both starting both Dennis and Pat. We are undersized already, that puts 6’ 4” Lonnie as our SF. I really don’t understand why Troy isn’t starting.

Nobody has been talking about it but I think we really miss Gabriel. A good switchable big comes in handy. LeBron played way to many minutes.

Sometimes I don’t understand coach Ham. At the end of the game when we needed a 3, he didn’t bring Lonnie in. We had LeBron, Russ and Dennis out there. WTF?
And in the OT and couldn’t score, Lonnie is sitting on the bench. A double WTF.

So if we beat the Pistons we go 3-3 on the road trip, which is what I was hoping for. It’s a shame AD got sick and LeBron had to miss that game. We should have let the sizers lose. It could have been a different trip.

Aloha,

Anyone who watched yesterdays game knows we are in desperate need for size on the wing. These taller long wings are working into the paint and shooting over our guards, pretending to be be small Forwards. But how can we find the size we need?

The Knicks and Lakers have something in common. We both have an abundance of small guards but need forward help. It appears that the Knicks are trying to accommodate a very unhappy Cam Reddish with a trade. But the Knicks will not be interested in adding our small guards.

So what team in the NBA needs guard help more then any other team? We just played them. The Raptors. It has gotten so bad that they moved Trent Jr, a shooting guard to the 2nd unit as the PG. They didn’t play another PG until the last 2 minutes. They are literally running Van fleet into the ground.

The Raptors have an abundance of long wings. Including OG Anunoby who has been unhappy for awhile. Now normally I would say go after OG. I would even give up a 1st for him. But I don’t think our guards solve their problem. But Derek Rose might.

The Knicks send Derek to the Raptors. They send Reddish to the Lakers.

The Raptors send OG to the Knicks.

The Lakers send Nunn and perhaps a 2nd to the Raptors.

While Nunn hasn’t been great, he is better then any of their other guards with a better then average chance of improving once he gets his confidence back after missing an entire season.
Everyone’s happy.

Next step is dealing with the Hornets. They should be looking to add assets and completely tank. Lakers send PatBev and Max Christie who at 19 has showed real potential on the defensive side of the ball and a 2nd. The Hornets send us Kelly Obre.

We keep Russ and our 2 first round picks to keep the front offices fever dream of landing a star alive.
Cam has a 8 mil qualifying offer for next season. If he does well they can negotiate a new deal. If he doesn’t, they can cut him loose. But that cap hold isn’t high so we can still negotiate a new deal with Lonnie.Kelly has a team option of 15 mil. Again it gives us cap flexibility.

These are not earth shattering moves but it would help our size issue. We could even use Troy at the 2 at times if needed.

While I am still convinced that we probably can’t trade our way into contention, a trade like this is wouldn’t cost a lot and would definitely improve our chances. Could that happen? Odds are not great but better then most of the proposals out there.

Aloha

Well LeBron and AD are both ruled out tonight. And to make matters worse Gabriel is out for at least another week. Our line forward with length. I will watch just to see how the others do. But I’m not holding my breathe for a win here.

Aloha,

Jamie did an excellent job as usual, breaking down the game, so I’m going to go in another direction. AD has finally bought into playing his best position. Center. After playing through some nagging injuries earlier, he seems to be fairly healthy. If he can stay healthy, big if, I believe AD the monster will be with us most of the season.

That said there is reason to believe with the development of some of the kids, especially Lonnie turning into a legit 3rd scorer, that this team could make the playoffs. Considering we have only lost one more game then the 6th seed Warriors, we might even avoid the play in game.

We are finally in a place where a trade might make sense. And as I have posted many times, that trade should be for a forward with size that can shoot. While I admire Patabevs tenacity, having him guard 6’ 9” guys is not sustainable. He has guarded, KD, PG, Middleton and Kuz among others and they have exploited his size.

Two things I have been apposed too are trading those first round picks, without protections and a trade that leaves to much salary on the books and we can’t retain Lonnie.

Now most of the Westbrook trades out there does not address the Forward position, and takes in salary that will be there next year. So we may have to go with a smaller trade.

With Russ the leading 6th man candidate I’m not even sure I want to trade him. A lot of what AD is doing is because of Russ finding him in his spots. So who could we find to help? Pat Bev, Nunn and a protected pick is our best hope. Some of the guys rumored to becoming available later in the year are:
Bogdanovic
Obure
OG Anunoby
Kuz
Are the most prominent names floating around. OG Anunoby is my personal favorite. Although he might cost a unprotected first. But a 24 year old 3 and D forward on a reasonable 17 mil contract would be worth it. And it would leave us with enough money for Lonnie.

As our young guys continue to grow any one of the players could really make this a strong squad. I’m sure we won’t do anything until the 15th which make sense.

When we left for this road trip I was hoping for 3 and 3. But we upset the Bucks and avoided an emotional let down loss against the Wizards. Now I’m hoping for 4-2. Although you know AD will be up for his match up with Embid. Last year in their match up AD out played him. If he does that again 5-1? I can dream.

It will be interesting to see what Robb does if we have a successful road trip.