Aloha,
Well that was ugly. Now there is context here. We were ahead when AD went down and Jackson demonstrated again that he shouldn’t be the primary back up to AD. Even Koloko is a better option.
Then Gabe was still out. Gabe is always in about every trade proposal for a center. But we saw what that would look like with Shake and Bronny as our 2nd unit ball handlers. Both were awful. You can’t trade Gabe unless we do something about another guard as well. At least Gabe’s defense has been pretty good. He would have been helpful against Maxey for sure.
Vando also would have helped against Maxey but they are not playing him
on the 2nd night of back to backs yet.
Now Rui came back but he was on a minute restriction due to the injury recovery. And DFS was in foul trouble and only played 17 minutes.
Considering it was the 3rd game in 4 days and the 2nd game of a back to back. So They looked tired. One could say that the 76ers had it worse. And they did without PG and Embid but they have been playing surprisingly well. They beat the Cavs without Embid. And the last 3 with PG out as well. They beat a completely healthy Kings team today.
Can a stat line of 31 points, 8 boards and 9 assists be considered a bad game? Yes, because LeBron accomplished that last night. We gave up 28 points on 22 turnovers and LeBron had 8 of the turnovers. That’s now 13 in the last 2 games. It seemed like every Lebron turnover led to points and so many were just stupid. And it wasn’t just turnovers. For the 2nd game in a row his defense was nonexistent. Even half his points came in the 4th when the game was over. He could use some rest but that probably won’t happen until AD is back.
So any bright spots? Well Dalton continued his hot shooting but he was picked on, on the defensive end and with so many of our best defenders out or crippled by fouls, it was hard to hide him.
This game highlighted our biggest weaknesses. We need a decent backup center. I know a lot of folks would like another starting center, but then LeBron would have to guard the 3 and we keep seeing what that looks like.
What we do need is a center that can defend, rebound and protect the rim at a reasonable level. We are not getting someone like Kessler.
And unless you love Shake and Bronnys game we could use another playmaking guard and hopefully he can score a little.
The problem is the trade market currently is stalled. Until Butler, Fox and LaVine situations are settled nothing is going to happen. All these sellers are not only holding out for teams willing to overpay for the few players on the market, they are also waiting to see if they can get a an asset or two by becoming a third or 4th team in one of these trades because they will be complicated deals.
I don’t see anything happening until the last day or two before the deadline. Hopefully there will be a deal available that can help the Lakers.
Mostly agree, it was mystifying to me seeing Bronny get PT over Cam who has been decent all season long. Not sure what the rookie head coach was thinking on that one. I have no clue why LeBron is playing like this. I can’t abide a player pining for better teammates and then tossing passes around the court like he’s Globetrotter. You want to be better? Than be better.
Not sure there’s any deal we’ll be able to make that resolves the issues we currently have. Backup PG now looms large as neither Shake nor Bronny are up to the task this team has set it’s sight’s on.
The only viable trade chip is Hachimura and, if one is honest, that’s not exactly a blue chip trading prospect. I don’t see Rob and the FO sending out any of our first rounders w/o limitations (1-5 protected, etc.) so that’s another hurdle.
Add in that the entire league is waiting to see what happens with Beal and Butler and you have a recipe for the Lakers may not get access to any of the players we want. If that’s the case and we’re looking at a lateral instead of a step up…why make a trade at all?
In general I’ve come to the conclusion that this level of play is our current ceiling with the key players we have. Reaves, Dalton, and Rui are not plus players on defense and neutral, at best. They require significant offensive contributions to justify their PT. Our bets defenders are either new or recovering or in and out because they just can’t stay on the floor. With AD out the defense is going to crater, big time, and we’ll need to see everyone score efficiently and frequently. I just don’t see that happening with this group.
I think we have some solid building blocks but we’re limited by age and general availability of our best players. Not much anyone can do about that until LeBron hangs ’em up.