Michael, you did the best you could to even get that far on tonight’s game, and I can feel your frustration all the way to my bones. Me? I am still in shock. The worst part is I can feel something slipping away from us after every loss. I don’t know if there is an end in sight to these lethargic performances that seem to never go away. It’s just horrible, to say the least.

Nothing more to say. If it had not been for the podcast, I would have switched to NetFlix early in the third quarter. It’s not fun or why you root when your favorite team becomes too painful to watch.

Time for Jeanie to demand action and give Rob full reign and budget to do whatever he can to reverse this situation. No more cheaping out, Jeanie. You owe the fans at least that.

Truth is the stress and chaos put on the franchise as a result of the Russell Westbook experiement is close to destroying the chemistry and confidence of this team.

Something has to be done. Something big and bold. Otherwise, we’re in for death by a million cuts over the next couple of months. The patient is on death row. Where is the doctor?

There has been a major feeling of disconnect this season. Started in the summer and here we are still not looking like a whole, functioning (functional?) team. Maybe a trade fixes that? Maybe getting the major cogs healthy and in the court fixes that? Maybe something were not privy to in a film session or practice fixes that? Something’s gotta give tho.

Well written, well-conceived. The answer you gave at the end of the article is exactly what I have been having in my opinion all the time. You don’t go for a trade where you give away more than the impact you bring in, no matter what player your target is.

Good news our first round pick is top 10 protected. We just might get it😂

With Westy and without AD we are just LBJ! : (

Mike Trudell
@LakersReporter
·
3h
L.A.’s most-used starting lineup this season is already the current group of Westbrook, Bradley, Monk, Johnson (on 2nd 10-day deal) and LeBron, at 59 minutes.

To compare, Utah’s starters have played an NBA-high 446 minutes together; Phoenix, 396; and GSW (sans Klay) 347.

This is what I’m talking about.

We are entering a stretch of both higher competitive pedigree and kind of make or break for the season.

We are every bit the .500-ish team we look like, porous paint defense because we have no useful size, porous perimeter defenders because we’re playing guys who are learning defense in prime roles (except Bradley who is no spring chicken at this point) and streaky shooting.

We’re also overly reliant on the greatness LBJ continues to deliver. Woe to all if that dries up. No good way to solve these issues except to keep working at them and hoping for enough improvement to stay competitive.

When AD gets back we’ll have a better defense. Same goes for Nunn, if he’s even on the team when he takes the court this season. With no timeline for his return it makes me think it won’t happen until after 1/15 so it’s also quite possible he may never see the floor in a Laker uni which is an odd thing to say about a guy we had pinned so much hope on.

Anyhow, the Nunn situation really, for me, sums up the Laker season: guy brought in to do something never plays for us and is the reason we get another guy who does a few other things and hopefully is better than the guys we shipped out? No guarantees so I’m more and more of the opinion to let it ride as-is unless a trade for a true difference maker in the paint materializes and doesn’t involve us mortgaging what future we have left in totality. Everything about this season has been a whackadoo tilt-a-whirl from the off-season cheap out, to the injuries, to COVID re-decimating the league to all of it being kind of predictable based on the players we brought in. The defense was always going to be a challenge, didn’t think it would be this challenging. The offense was always going to come and go, didn’t expect to see games where essentially the whole team other than a couple dudes no-showed, and so on.

Anyhow, I think we’re a .500-ish team right given that AD is out. What his WAR (wins above replacement)? That’s a big question. Same goes for Nunn. If they add a win or two over replacement, and I think they’re good for at least that, we have a shot at the 6…maybe 5 but I kinda doubt it…seed. All that really matters is avoiding the playin and hoping we get a good matchup early to find our sea legs against. If it’s the Suns I think they’ll run us off the floor. Better to face them later in the playoffs if at all possible. Would rather face any team but Phoenix right now. They’re on fire and they have the MiraclePlay trainging staff that adds length to anyone’s career, somehow.

Wish we had the same.

Aloha, Michael,

And Welcome to the Lakerholics.Com Team, our equivalent of Cryto.Com Arena. I was sorry to see Sean leave but thrilled at the opportunity to finally get you to join our team. For those who don’t know, I’ve been after Michael to become part of the team for years now. Big Plus/Minus for Lakerholics.Com

Anyway, great inaugural post as we completed the first 41 of our 82 game NBA season. I share your optimism despite the record and last night’s dispiriting loss to the very unappreciated and talented Memphis Grizzlies. My take at the halfway point is pretty much the same as yours. We are what we are until we prove differently, which we haven’t done. Nor are we the favorites.

But while we haven’t proven via wins that we’ve made progress, I do think the last stretch of games has finally given us a solid glimpse of what this team’s identity and possible ceiling are. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies game also showed us what our possible floor is even with the best player on the planet in LeBron. Some losses aren’t team losses. This one was for sure a team loss.

Where we differ is I’m a firm believer that we not only have to make a major move to have realistic shot at winning #18 this season but we also have the will and assets to pull off a major trade. THT, Nunn, and the 2027 pick have serious value. If needed, Monk and Reaves also have great value and we could give the Pelicans a second rounder to eliminate one of the pick swaps so we could offer two first round picks. The targets? Myles Turner or Jerami Grant.

What happened last night was hopefully one of those unexplainable anomalies that happen almost every night in the NBA: A team that’s been playing well and shooting lights out comes out and lays an egg and nobody on the team other than LeBron can make a basket. We saw this with flawed lineups earlier this season but this was different. I think a lot of the blame, if you can call it that, goes to the Memphis Grizzlies, who wanted to prove something and had the size, athleticism, and talent we hadn’t recently faced and schooled us. Nothing to do but file, flush, and take it out on the Kings.

Aloha, Michael. Great post. Love your optimism and positive thinking.

I agree 100% with you that the Lakers are in a good position right now, which is surprising considering everything that’s gone down in the team’s first 39 games with injuries and Covid.

It’s amazing what three in a row and four out of five wins will do for the team’s and it’s fans’ outlook. But the sudden optimism is built on critical positive developments we’ve seen over the last five games.

LeBron at the five is at the heart of the Lakers’ and LeBron’s renaissance. After being derailed by Anthony Davis’ injury, the Lakers were finally forced to play LeBron at the five and ther rest is history.

Credit Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, who embraced the results of LeBron at the five and committed that AD and LeBron would be the team’s primary centers going forward, with a touch of Dwight.

The continued excellent play by Melo, Monk, Reaves, Bradley, and Howard supported great play by superstars James and Westbrook showed everybody how good the Lakers could be.

Suddenly, solutions emerged. LeBron James at center. Monk as starting shooting guard. Johnson as big wing defender. Reaves as the guy who makes every lineup better.

I still think the Lakers are one more player away from being a true championship contender. They need a young, physical 6′ 8″ to 6′ 11″ stretch four or five to give them more size, defense, and versatility. Cam Reddish could be that player. Or Myles Turner, Christian Wood, Chris Bouchet, Jerami Grant, or Harrison Barnes.

For sure though, the murky clouds hovering over the Lakers future thinned and separated and things suddenly look much better than they did just a few games ago. Let’s hope we’re really building something right now. Need to beat the Hawks on Friday night.

Good one, Michael. The one thing that stood out to me in your post is about us playing with more energy. That, to me, has to continue. The more I see them play with energy the more I am confident we are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

The other thing that is giving me a sigh of relief is the continued improvements of Monk and THT, and especially THT getting out of his funk. Hopefully, we are going to see a better version of him for the rest of the season. Stanley Johnson is quite a revelation. Can’t say enough about how much he has impressed me. What a find!

Your take on AD is pretty much the same as my thoughts. He needs to be a better version of what he was before the injury. There is going to be a lot riding on his back when he returns.

All in all, I am getting quite encouraged as the team seems to be always finding something new that works.

We’re exactly where we are. Nobody saw the events unfolding as they have and yet that’s the road we’re on, regardless of intent, availability or anything else we want to try and conform this season to. We’re on a ride with the end not yet in sight.

The defense was always going to be an issue, especially in the regular season. We struggle more against young teams than I anticipated and I think that’s mostly due to having a lot of older players on the roster and being under-sized in general.

The rebounding will be an issue when we’re small. James isn’t Draymond Green, he’s more of an orchestrator, finisher and attacker than Green is. Russ needs to keep attacking the glass and Johnson should help a little.

The young guys who have been available are playing like, well, young guys. Good one game, gone the next. It’s difficult to be consistently good in pro sports, to say nothing of being consistently great. It ain’t easy. So it’s not too surprising that we’ve lacked consistency from those dudes.

AD has always been and will indeed be the key to any sustained success this team can muster. His defense is the key to unlocking so much of the potential on this squad, moreso in years past simply because of the personnel he’s surrounded by. His scoring inside, on this team, is more important to me than his outside shot. As long as he takes them when they’re there I’m cool with it. It would be nice if he was making more.

At any rate, if Russ, LeBron, AD and Melo are healthy I like our chances against any team in a 7 game series. Just need to get a couple other guys going in that case and leave the winning to the professionals.

Smart move. Sign him for 2 10-days and then for rest of season. Saves money and taxes over signing him now for rest of season.

Aloha, Michael,

No doubt Dwight deserved a game ball tonight. He was great at both ends. Controlled the glass. Finished at the rim. Great double-double. Frank finally has the center rotation where it should be with LeBron and AD the primaries and Dwight off the bench and DJ DNP.

Monk is locking down the starting shooting guard over Reaves and Ellington. His offense is solid gold at all three levels and his defense has been better than advertised with his athleticism. I’m loving how our guards are breaking up bounce passes and logs off pick-and-rolls. Great defensive adjustments by coaching staff.

I think the rise of Monk and Reaves as well as the resurrection of Bradley have suddenly given the team hope that they may not need as much help from outside as originally thought. It was great also to see THT come through with a great game. Will it be enough?

I do think Monk is going to be a real star for us, maybe just for this year but a star for sure. While I still think we need more size and preferably a player like Turner, Wood, or Boucher to give us size, defensee, and a stretch five, I’m intrigued by what Kendrick Nunn could bring us. I still think THT is a tough fit on this team and should be traded but Nunn’s skillset and lefty handle could be something we don’t want to give up.

THT for Chris Boucher of the Raptors might be the kind of deal we need, although I still would try and pull off the THT + Nunn combo for Turner, Wood, Boucher, Grant, Bogdan, or Reddish. Just need one more big.

Good post, Michael. Confidence and consistency in our young players sprinkled with our vets is the recipe we need heading into the second half of the season. I agree.

6 of our top 10 players are under 28.

Great post Michael and I agree on the Stanley Johnson front. Like Bradley you just want those guys to shoot the shots KeBron and Russ work to create for them. Make or miss, you have to shoot open shots or your toast in this league. How long LeBron sustain this? Anyone’s guess, I think he just wrapped up the December WC Player of the Month and he’s proving everyone (me included) wrong fir showing any doubts. Need to stay around the 5-6 seed until AD gets back

Aloha, Michael,
Happy New Year to you and yours.

It was great to end the year with what was undoubtedly our best game of the year. What Lakers fan doesn’t enjoy a good blow out. My wife doesn’t understand why we wouldn’t want a close win instead. How do you explain it to somebody who isn’t a true sports fan? Anyway, last night was more than just one win.

I love LeBron at the five. While I think there’s a case to be made for him to continue to start at the five when AD returns, I do expect Davis to start at the five once he’s back. But how we fare with LeBron at the five could change the dynamic since we’re still four to six weeks away from AD’s return. Something to keep an eye on. At some point, LeBron will become the Lakers starting center.

Vogel’s comments about the Lakers likely relying on AD and LeBron as their centers going forward was great news as it confirms the Lakers are committed to playing small ball with AD or LeBron at the five. What the announcement also implies is the Lakers will try to have LeBron or AD at the five for the entire game, which by its nature means less time together on the floor. That might be the best option because it means LeBron and Russ pairings and AD and Russ pairings.

You’re right that there may still be times when the Lakers want to start a big center like Dwight, which is why I still think there’s a chance the Lakers trade for Myles Turner, who would enable Frank to play his preferred two bigs and AD his preferred power forward while giving the Lakers the tools to go monster sized as well as small ball on steroids. Dwight played well last two games but we may need to find a younger bouncier center to go against Jokic and Embiid.

Stanley is the perfect fit for this team and the Lakers are a perfect fit for him. Great move to have him on the SB Lakers as it’s made his transition to the varsity a snap. I want him not to gamble as much as he’s failed to steal a pass numerous time which has resulted in wide open threes for the other team. He’s true small forward size with the weight to play the small ball four. While he’s not a great outside shooter, he’s competent from the corners and knows when not to shoot. We just traded Rondo for the roster spot for Stanley. I find it intriguing that the Lakers seem hesitant to guarantee the roster spot to Johnson. Letting him walk would be another Damian Jones. Unless the Lakers have bigger fish in mind or other moves that might require a roster spot. Come January 15, we’ll find out.

I’ve been in the same spot as you with Malik, having him slated along with Melo as our punch off the bench. I like your point about Monk allowing Russ to be more of a playmaker and less of a scorer. For me, that means Reaves comes off the bench, which could be good balance with Melo and shooters coming in. Need some defense off the bench because of so many offense-only players.

I have us winning the next six games before we meet Utah in the middle of January. That would give us a season high 7-game winning streak. Act like this is the team we have, so go out and win. AD and Nunn will be like a surprise midseason trade to push the team over the top. Test is does the team know this and can they go out and do it beginning Sunday. We have the players now so all we have to do is play the right way and win.

Because Rondo is in a vet minimum deal we can take back a non-guaranteed player or a player to be named later. While the Cavs are over the cap it essentially means they can trade a placeholder, in essence.

I hope it’s Ed Davis if it’s anyone though

These are the kind of moves I see us making. Filler for filler based on need. If we get a 2nd rounder for our troubles that would be awesome.

@Michael
@Jamie
Thanks for the good responses from both of you. At least you cleared my mind and both of you made very convincing points. Thank you.

We could also help facilitate a trade if another team needed to clear a roster spot.

Ooh, what a find! That 2.7 mils has been kept under the rug for far too long most folks are not aware of it. About time to dust it off and put it into good use. Thanks for bringing that up, Michael.

Add in the fact that Nunn has yet to play and it’s an even thornier issue. I’m calling buyout market, at best.

I have to respectfully disagree with both you and Jamie, Michael. While it won’t be easy, I do see some legitimate opportunities for the Lakers to land Ben Simmons and/or Myles Turner. It may be wishful thinking that we could land both of them but I think there’s a good chance we could end up landing one of them.

First, I think Lakers fans always underestimate what their trading chips are worth. There’s a clear understanding and respect for the job the Lakers’ scouting department has done drafting and finding undrafted players who have NBA potential. Just look at all of the talented young former Lakers players around the league.

Second, other teams understand how difficult it is for role players to fit into a lineup with LeBron, AD, and Russ. They know the fit is very difficult and there will be teams who see potential jewels in talented young players like THT, Nunn, Monk, and Reaves.

Third, Russell Westbrook is playing well and there are situations where he can be the difference maker for a team like the Sixers or Celtics or Pacers or Pelicans. Most importantly, he opens the door to multiple team trades that are easier to get to work than staight trades between two teams.

Slim to Nunn should be changed to difficult but possible.

Wow I didn’t mean to start an argument. Lol. I like THT’s potential. We’ve seen flashes of it. He’s missed a lot of time due to injury and Covid so it’s been a rough start. That said a team is not going to trade a star player to us with THT as the center piece of that trade. THT is more of a secondary piece at this point. He might even work If we had more draft assets to offer. We don’t. And then there are guys like Malik and Nunn that could walk this summer. There would be a high possibility of that. A rebuild in a small market isn’t that appealing for a player. And with Nunn is his age. The Pistons are considering trading Grant because at 27 he doesn’t fit their other players time line. Nunn is 26. Young for the Lakers old for a rebuild.

This is true of all aging stars as they lose that extra gear that made them special in the first place. It’s no longer about the things they can do out there – it’s about everything they’re now incapable of.

Very good post, Michael. And I totally agree with you. We lost this game because of missed wide-open layups or dunks. From THT to LeBron, to Russ I can’t recall how many misses there were, but Russ’s misses were the real culprit. I keep screaming at the screen every time he misses those wide-open layups. And it is becoming very common on his part.

I was very impressed with how Stanley Johnson played. It is only one game but if he keeps playing like that we should keep him. You are absolutely right if we can’t game plan around our shooters, then we might as well field defensive-minded players. Monk and Melo played well. THT keeps reminding me of a Ben Simmons. He looks afraid to shoot and doesn’t seem to have that hunger to attack the paint which was his staple.

Also, don’t know about anybody else but I would like to see a coach with the guts to play Jay Huff more. At this point, we are still auditioning the players we have and we could use his length, even if it was to disrupt the other team’s penchant for attacking the paint.

Russ had the old record and broke that last night with 11 misses. Very disappointing game from Russ. I said on the podcast last night that this game may have been the turning point for me. I love Russ and his motor and, like LeBron said, he did so many great things last night that helped us come back but we wouldn’t have been down by 20 going into the fourth if he had played better and been more careful with the ball and his shots.

Last night may have been the final straw for me. While I think there is a path to the championship that includes Russ, I don’t think it’s the Lakers’ best opportunity to win this season and I expect Rob Pelinka to make a big move that includes Russ. I juste don’t think the chaos and craziness that his game brings to a team is what the Lakers need to win a championship this year.

So count me in those who do believe trading for Russ was a mistake and the Lakers should do whatever they have to take advantage of opportunities to trade Russ along with THT and Nunn to transform the Lakers back into the big bully ball team that can dominate opponents playing big or small. Right now, we’re a team that can’t win either way.

Aloha, Michael.

As it’s impossible not to see, this season is looking more and more like last season. While we haven’t been knocked out, we’ve been banged up and beaten up and the injury to AD will now force us survive the next 22 games (average games missed for partial MCL tear) but coalesce as a championship team with a healthy big three over the last 30 games of the season. Of course, that assumes LeBron won’t injure himself trying to keep us above water in the meantime. Yes, we have a chance but at this point it’s only a puncher’s chance. And only because of Covid.

It was a chaotic game with lineups you never thought you would see and sporadic stretches of great and terrible play. It’s what we’re going to see a lot of unless Omicron isn’t as contagious as the experts think and Covid somehow becomes a non-factor. Otherwise, having AD take off the next 22 games could be the silver lining that saves this season, as long as LeBron and Russ stay healthy and don’t have to burn themselves out.

While Russ has been playing well, the Lakers know they need major upgrades to their starting lineup and rotations if they want to win the championship. And trading Russ is their only chance to get enough back in return to be better off. Russ, THT, Nunn, and their 2027 first round pick are their trading chips. They need to go after Myles Turner, Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Jerami Grant, or Christian Wood. Size and defense upgrades. The real silver lining is every game we lose only reinforces how why we need to make a move. Pelinka needs to pull off a blockbuster. And we can’t wait until summer.

I agree with the title of this post. Excellent observations as always, Michael. They put up a valiant fight only to come up short.

I am very pleased with the way they played tonight. As a matter of fact, the Lakers looked like the better team for much of the contest, but their 20 turnovers, 16 offensive rebounds given up, and poor free-throw shooting did them in. You can’t be that careless with the ball, give up that many offensive rebounds, and expect to win against better teams in the league especially if you can’t make your free throws as well.

Also, you keep harping it, but it is time for the Lakers to find ways to give Ellington more shots and involve all the shooters as well. That’s one of the reasons Jordan Poole is emerging as a weapon for the Warriors. They set him up to always be in the position to shoot, and he’s not afraid to shoot.

Meanwhile, I am hoping we keep IT. He is one of the few on the team that can get to the free-throw line at will. That’s a luxury to have on this team. Overall, I am pleased with the team’s play tonight even in a loss.

Is it just me but is anyone paying attention to the minutes LeBron is playing? 40 minutes tonight is a lot in my opinion. I found that to be a bit concerning. He looked gassed in the fourth quarter.

A McKinnie sighting? Good to see him still have a home in the league. Well liked by players and fans alike. Happy for him.