It's USA Basketball Showcase time!
10:30 pm ET/7:30 pm PT
📍 @TMobileArena📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/72dKQkM0qU
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 10, 2024
.@AllenSliwa breaks down the #Lakers unsuccessful off-season and why he believes it went down that way 👀
What would you have done differently Lakers' fans? pic.twitter.com/KUctn3weza
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) July 9, 2024
Hope everyone had a great 4th. We had an awesome cookout yesterday and of course the conversation turned towards the Lakers. The question I always put out there is what kinda culture are they building? What’s the guiding set of principles for the future? Somebody made a great point about Meritocracy. It feels like nobody in the positions of power have actually EARNED their status and then how does that trickle down & infect the entire franchise? We all know how the Owner, Governess?, whatever her title got her job. The GM got installed due to his relationship with Kobe while having no practical experience. Head Coach?….pretty much the same situation. 55th pick?…’nuff said. Just another wrinkle that I hadn’t seen previously. We’ve got foundational problems that run so much deeper than just finding a backup center…smdh
remember during the trade deadline… when Lakers fans was BEGGING Robbery Pelinka to make a move… ANY move… & he said it was best to stand pat that particular moment in time… cuz they had 3 FRPs available to aggressively try to improve the team in the summer… now here we are pic.twitter.com/aanRCnFYDM
— ♕𝕕𝕒𝕧𝕠𓅓 (@shpillo_) July 3, 2024
Orlando Magic F Jonathan Isaac has agreed on a five-year, $84 million contract renegotiation and extension, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4skp5qS2sp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2024
"I am BAFFLED at the total inability of Rob Pelinka to get anything done, ever."
— @getnickwright reacts to Klay Thompson planning to join the Mavs, and sounds off on the Lakers not acquiring the SG: pic.twitter.com/SpFGI8sggg
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 1, 2024
Lebron ain’t giving up half his salary for any of these dudes left who would fit into that MLE. Lakers FO needed to be ready to move quickly but that’s never been Rob’s strong suit (not sure he has one). CP3 & JV didn’t even wait around to go to a contender…
via @YouTube https://t.co/Qv6tqhHlaZ
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 30, 2024
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes is exercising his $2.4 million player option to return for the 2024-25 season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Hayes reunites with new coach JJ Redick. pic.twitter.com/FCmbZAWwoK
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2024
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is picking up his $18.7 million player option for next season to stay in LA, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/H44wduSZL3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2024
Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels) https://t.co/4BLEuDodqT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels) https://t.co/4BLEuDodqT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
I’m so happy Rob didn’t make a stupid over-reach and waste the pick on a damn backup center and instead took the best guy left on the board. You just hired a guy who’s gonna stress 3pt shooting so common sense says that you go out & get shooters….it ain’t rocket surgery (lol).
The thing I like about Knecht is that he’s a good example of a player I think we need more of…I want a buncha young, quick, athletic live wires all around 6’5″-6’9″ surrounding our CENTER Anthony Davis.
The drawback for Knecht is that he’s not a defender and we need TWO-WAY PLAYERS. We scored 118pts a game..that’s #2 in the West. Best in the league was IND at 123 (World Champs scored 120). Problem is that we gave up 117 in the process! Can JayJay squeeze out an extra 4 or 5 points? Probably. But if we continue to neglect the defense (especially the perimeter) then we’re gonna be a 5 or 6 seed and a 2nd round exit. Can’t go into the season (and definitely not the playoffs) with this same backcourt.
Backup center? Much easier to fill that spot than finding elite shooting & athleticism. 3 & D wings are becoming even more rare. Rob gotta show us something……
The passing of Jerry West put some things in perspective for me in terms of the current situation the Lakers find themselves in. The 1st thing folks want to do is compare JayJay Redick to Pat Riley or Steve Kerr or even Eric Spoelstra. But what we fail to realize is the common thread that runs through Riles & Kerr and ultimately to Spo (thru Riles) is Jerry West. I don’t think they have the same success without that guiding hand, mentorship, and presence in that office down the hallway. I hated the way he was portrayed in that Winning Time series (hell, just about everyone came out looking bad in that thing) but you can really tell how influential the man was when you read the tributes by the guys who worked under him (Ty Lue included).
So now I look at JayJay as a potential coach. No doubt, he has a good “basketball mind” (most guys who spent their life in the game do) but who’s gonna be his Jerry West? That part really eats at me. I suspect that it may be one of many reasons for Hurley turning down the job. Who’s gonna be the architect of the future? Who has the plan? Is there a plan? If you say Rob Pelinka then…..we got a problem. We tried to compare him to Bob Myers…but guess what? Jerry West mentored him too!!!!!
Sometimes it just feels like we need a grown-up in the room.
.@RicBucher: Hiring JJ Redick would be a mistake by the Lakers.
“I’m praying that they do this because it would be the most comical thing that we’ve ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/7A5VM5rfg4
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 22, 2024
Please wait ...