Aloha,
For those who think a trade is going to turn this around, it’s not. Besides, the trade market is full of buyers and very few sellers so competition for those players that do hit the market will be fierce.
It will be up to the players and coaches to turn this season around. I actually place more blame on coaching in this last game. It was apparent that they did not want Ja to beat them and they collapsed the paint all night. While it did work to some degree, Ja was 7 for 17, there was no adjustments made when the Griz got hot from 3. Sure the Griz is a bad 3 point shooting team but even a poor 3 point shooter will hit shots if left completely alone.
We have AD, yet the coaches never adjusted. When we were playing good defense earlier in the year, our perimeter defenders got up on players, knowing AD had their backs. At some point an adjustment needed to be made. Not only were guys collapsing but they dropped to deep, making it impossible to challenge.
Yes Smart is a poor 3 point shooter and he did make a couple of contested shots but for the most part he was left alone to make what amounted to practice shots. JJJ shoots a set shot 3, yet LeBron was so far off him he could get that shot off with no problem.
I really don’t know what the answer is but players and coaches a like need to take a long look in the mirror and decide if they want to turn it around or not. These kind of performances can not continue.
There’s no trade because the cap is clogged with guys underperforming their deals, most notably the biggest salary on the roster.
Agreed Michael, although I personally would advocate a trade for Smart I doubt Memphis would move him with the team on the rise as-is.
This vibe is bad. When the two best players ball out, team plays OK, and you lose because of a lack of a coach making an in-game adjustment (in this case Memphis getting red hot from three) its a huge issue I’m not sure a trade can solve.
I am getting completely deflated with all these losses. Such a sad moment to be a Lakers fan.