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What Can Frank Vogel Do To Stop the Bleeding & Make It to Trade Deadline?

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The Los Angeles Lakers have a serious problem. The immediate help they need to stop the bleeding in the form of injured players returning or a big trade to give the team more size in the front court aren’t happening soon.

The Lakers problem is their key injured players — Ariza and Nunn — aren’t likely to return until mid-December and their top trading chips — THT and Nunn —cannot be traded until December 15 and January 15 respectively. That means Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel will have to find a way to survive with the existing roster for at least the 9 games before December 15 and possibly for the 22 games on the Lakers’ schedule before January 15.

While the Lakers aren’t in serious trouble yet, the warning signs are ramping up and unless Frank Vogel makes some major changes, the 10–11 Lakers could easily find themselves 15–15 on December 15 or 22–21 on January 15. Vogel is no novice in the coaching business and should know that having a record close to .500 on December 15 or January 15 could easily cost him his job as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Frank is now on hot seat.

At the heart of the Lakers’ problems is Vogel’s starting lineup that included DeAndre Jordan and Avery Bradley as the two role player starters alongside the three superstars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. While DeAndre Jordan and Avery Bradley clearly fit what Frank Vogel wants as his starting rim protector and point-of-attack defender, both players have not met expectations and have the team’s two lowest net ratings.

How the Lakers fare over the 9 games before December 15 and the 22 games before January 15 will determine Vogel’s fate. So let’s look at what Frank can do to shake up the rotation, win some games, and save his job.

1. Remove Jordan and Bradley from the Starting Lineup

If the Frank Vogel’s going to survive the 9 games until December 15 or the 22 games before January 15th, he’s going to have to replace DeAndre Jordan as the starting center and Avery Bradley as the starting shooting guard.

Vogel’s overreaction to the Lakers’ small ball lineups getting killed on the boards and outscored in the paint was to revert back to DeAndre Jordan starting again at center, despite his negative impact on the team’s spacing. Frank paired the Jordan move with Avery Bradley returning to the starting lineup the last two games. Vogel’s justification for making both moves was to increase the size and improve the defense of the starting lineup.

The results of the two games confirm Vogel did get better defense as Jordan’s 101.5 and Bradley’s 102.4 defensive ratings were best on team. Unfortunately, their 85.1 and 91.3 offensive ratings were worst on the team. While starting Jordan and Bradley created better defense, they stifled the team’s offense. Jordan’s -16.4 net rating was lowest and Bradley’s -11.2 third lowest on the team. Vogel needs to admit his mistake and replace both.

It’s one thing for a coach to want an elite defensive team and to demand players play defense if they want to start but Vogel needs to realize this team strategically sacrificed some defense to get much better on offense.

2. Get Creative with Non-Traditional Starting Lineup

Pelinka’s moves combined with untimely injuries have derailed any roster stability the Lakers had hoped for. The best Frank Vogel can hope for now is to replace Jordan and Bradley with starters who can help the team win.

The above small ball lineup with LeBron James at the five and Carmelo Anthony at the four with three guards is a perfect example of the innovative starting lineups Frank Vogel needs to embrace to get the Lakers rolling. Substitute Anthony Davis for Carmelo Anthony and Frank has his starting lineup: Westbrook, Ellington, Monk, James and Davis. Or Davis and James if you want LeBron to play the five. Either way, Melo comes off the bench.

This is not the 2020 bubble championship roster but it has definite strengths that Vogel can rely upon when retooling his starting lineup and rotations. the roster also has its Achilles Heel in that it lacks small forward sized players. Fortunately, the Lakers do have three healthy quality bigs in LeBron James (36 mpg), Anthony Davis (36 mpg), and Dwight Howard (24 mpg) who could cover the 96 minutes of time at power forward and center each game.

After Friday night’s triple overtime loss to the Kings, Vogel will be under intense pressure from the media and fans to remove both Jordan and Bradley from the starting lineups. The Lakers are a team in need of change.

3. Narrow Rotation to Ten Players Maximum

Besides setting his starting lineup going forward, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel needs to narrow his rotation to ten players by setting up the starter and primary backup for each position. The Lakers need rotational stability.

Here’s the Lakers’ projected depth chart:

PG: WESTBROOK, NUNN, Rondo
SG: ELLINGTON, REAVES, Bradley
SF: MONK, THT, Bazemore
PF: DAVIS, ANTHONY, Ariza
CE: JAMES, HOWARD, Jordan

Starters and primary backups in caps

The problem with Rob Pelinka’s construction of the Lakers’ roster is the obvious lack of size at small forward. While we keep hearing that 6′ 8″ Trevor Ariza is the solution, he has only played power forward the last four years. Frank Vogel needs to realize two bigs is not the answer to the Lakers’ lack of size at the three. That’s a problem the Lakers will have to wait to solve until January 15 when THT and Nunn will both be eligible to be traded.

Meanwhile, Vogel needs to find starting and rotation lineups that can score, defend, and win games with LeBron, AD, and three guards. That’s what his future as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers will depend upon.

Could the Evolution of LeBron James Be Small Ball Stretch Five for Lakers?

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I had an epiphany watching LeBron James play small ball center in the Lakers’ overtime victory over the Pacers Wednesday night. Could LeBron James’ ultimate position with the Lakers be as a stretch five center?

I’ve long been a fan of LeBron at the five since he became a Laker and, after my epiphany, immediately thought of a Western Conference Finals between the Lakers with LeBron at the five and the Warriors with Dray at the five. Watching LeBron calling out opponent’s plays and directing the Lakers switching and rotating small ball defense reminded me of how Draymond continues to do the exact same thing for the suddenly resurgent Warriors.

We heard a lot about moving LeBron to the four and AD to the five with the arrival of Westbrook but there are also solid reasons for the Lakers to seriously consider James starting at the five and Davis remaining at the four. While out-of-the-box, the idea of inverting LeBron and AD is not illogical. LeBron is 6′ 9″ and probably 260 pounds while AD is 6′ 11″ and 250 pounds. The difference is one player loves to physically bang and the other does not.

The Lakers want a center who’s more of a power than a finesse player. That’s a description that applies more to LeBron than to AD. LeBron’s low center of gravity and physicality makes him a better center candidate. In the wake of my epiphany about LeBron ending his Lakers’ career as a small ball stretch five, it’s obvious the simple solution is to leave AD playing his preferred power forward position and start LeBron’s evolution to the five.

The Lakers can begin by playing LeBron at the five for six-minute stints at the end of the first and third quarters, where LA struggles. LeBron at the five surrounded by four 3-point shooters can help the Lakers win those quarters. LeBron’s also more engaged when he’s playing the five and doesn’t take off plays defensively like he does at the three or four. Instead, he calls out the other team’s plays and directs his own players where to be and what to do.

In some ways, playing the five could also be less work for LeBron. Unlike AD and most of the Lakers, LeBron does a great job boxing out and rebounding when he plays the five. That’s why the five might be LeBron’s ideal position. LeBron at the five also lets AD play his preferred power forward position where he can roam, lurk in the paint, and use his elite shot blocking as a help defender and let LeBron handle the physical banging of playing the five.

Most NBA players move up a position as they get older and less mobile. Small forwards become power forwards and power forwards evolve into small ball centers as their careers end. It’ll be the same for LeBron. We’re starting to see LeBron settle for step-back threes and one-legged fadeaway twos in the paint rather than ferociously attacking the rim like he did in his prime. Part of it is the defenses but part of it is LeBron evolving.

It’s almost as if LeBron himself sees center as his ultimate position as he finishes his Lakers’ career and wants to make sure to mold his bully ball and 3-point shooting skills to become the modern version of an elite NBA center. LeBron James will be 38 when his current two year Lakers’ extension ends in 2023. If he signs another two-year extension, LeBron could continue to play for the Lakers through the 2025 season, when he will turn 40-years old.

The Lakers should start regularly playing LeBron James at the five right now. LeBron’s maximum championship window is five more years: three years left on his current extension and a second two-year extension until he’s 40. LeBron’s goal with four rings is to tie or beat MJ’s six rings. That would mean winning at least two more championship rings in purple and gold out of a maximum of five possible Laker seasons. Evolving to play center will help.

Sometimes life gives you glimpses of the future that feel like epiphanies you should have seen before. That’s what LeBron at the five feels like to me. It might not happen until his next Lakers contract but it’s going to happen.

Three Shot Blocking Stretch Centers Who Would Make the Lakers Bigger!

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The Lakers been outrebounded and outscored in the paint so badly when they go small with Anthony Davis at the five that Frank Vogel has reverted to starting DeAndre Jordan at center. They obviously need to get bigger.

The Lakers have three options to get bigger. They could wait for 6′ 8″ 36-year old Trevor Ariza to get healthy or they could trade some combination of Horton-Tucker, Nunn, and filler for a stretch center or bigger 3&D wing. Considering his age and they haven’t even seen him play yet, the Lakers aren’t going to be content to wait for Ariza. They know they need to make a big trade to fix the roster imbalance Westbrook and injuries have wrought.

There are several reasons why trading for a stretch center might be better than trading for a small forward, including that it would modernize the Lakers’ game while allowing LeBron and AD to stay at the three and four. Trading for a center would allow Vogel to play his preferred two bigs and have an elite center who could space the floor and protect the rim on the court for 48 minutes of each game. That would transform the Lakers.

Meanwhile, trading for a bigger (6′ 7″ to 6′ 9″) 3&D wing would still require the Lakers to play small ball with LeBron James at the four and Anthony Davis at the five. I suspect Vogel may be lobbying to trade for a second big. Which way the Lakers ultimately go will be determined by which player they’re able to make a deal for. Every team needs bigger 3&D wings so the Lakers just might have better luck trading for a modern two-way center.

Here are three modern center trade targets who can stretch the floor and protect the rim and have the two-way versatility to play big or small. Adding one of them would immediately make the Lakers bigger and better.

1. PACERS’ MYLES TURNER

25-Years Old. 6′ 11,” 250 lb center. 2-Yrs, $17.5M.
Averaging 12.7/7.5/1.1/3.0. Shooting 52.3/40.4/69.8%.

Trading for Myles Turner should be the Lakers top priority once all of their players will be eligible to be traded on January 15th. There is no other player now on the trade market who could match the impact Turner could have.

Myles’ 40% 3-point shooting and league best rim protection would upgrade Lakers at both ends. He would allow Vogel to play his preferred two bigs, Anthony Davis his preferred four, and LeBron James his preferred three. There’s a chance the Lakers’ experiment with Davis at the four may be over. While LA could still trade for a 3&D wing, the smarter move in the end could be to do what’s natural and go big by trading for Myles Turner.

The beauty of trading for Turner is he lets the Lakers to play big or small. Imagine a Lakers’ front court with the NBA’s #1 and #3 best shot blockers, both of whom can stretch the floor with the three or attack the rim. The Lakers have an opportunity to solidify what has been an rotating door at center the last three years. While centers may not be valued as much as they once were, Turner could be the catalyst that transforms the Lakers.

The Lakers should trade anybody on the roster other than James or Davis to acquire Turner, starting with a package of THT, Nunn, and whatever else Indy wants. Turner is the best solution to fix the Lakers’ size problems.

2. ROCKETS’ CHRISTIAN WOOD

26-Years Old. 6/ 9,” 214 lb center. 2-Yrs, $13.6M.
Averaging 15.5/11.0/2.4/0.9. Shooting 44.4/32.1/54.8%

Christian Wood is the same age as Myles Turner but was a late developer who’s played in less than half of Turner’s 400 NBA games. He’s potentially a better scorer and rebounder than Turner but not as good a shot blocker.

Wood’s an impressive talent who has the potential to be a miniature version of Anthony Davis. Offensively, he’s got a great stroke from three and attacks the rim with ferocity and physicality. He’s a better 3-point shooter than 32%. Defensively, he’s not as good a shot blocker but is more athletic than Turner and could develop into the kind of defender who can actually guard five positions. He’s less proven and clearly a bigger risk and reward than Turner.

Like Turner, Wood would give the Lakers the ability to play big or small. And for the version of small they play to be a total aberration of name small ball. We’re talking about a very big, fast, and athletic team playing small ball. The Lakers may end up trading for a big 3&D wing but it will likely be because that’s the best deal they could get, not because they really want to go small with AD at the five. Wood is not Turner but he would be a gread add.

And like Turner, Wood adds youth and athleticism as well as size to the Lakers’ starters and roster while allowing Frank to play two bigs, LeBron to stay at the three, and Anthony to play his preferred power forward.

3. MAGIC’S MO BAMBA

23-Years Old. 7′ 0,” 231 lb center. 2-Yrs, $7.5M.
Averaging 11.1/9.2/1.8/2.1. Shooting 45.4/34.1/70.8%.

Mo Bamba is having the best season in his young career. At 23, Mo is the youngest of the three stretch center targets. Finally getting a chance to start and play 30 minutes per game, Bamba is finally starting to shine.

Bamba at 23 is the youngest, biggest, and lowest paid of the three stretch centers the Lakers should target at the trade deadline. Like Wood, he’s only played in around 170 NBA games compared to over 400 for Myles Turner. Mo is probably the biggest gamble of the three stretch centers featured in this article but he also would have the least expensive price. For example, the Lakers might be able to get him straight up for Kendrick Nunn or THT.

But like with Turner and Wood, Bamba would give the Lakers the flexibility to play big or small, versatility that’s invaluable in the playoffs. There were questions about Bamba’s motor and work ethic but he now seems to get it. Because he only makes $7.5 million, it’s hard for the Magic to get fair value unless it’s in the form of draft picks, which does not bode well for the Lakers being able to trade for him. The question is what will they give up?

Mo Bamba would be a gamble but fits the mold of the modern NBA center who can stretch the floor and attack the rim on offense and protect the rim and challenge shooters on defense. Low risk, high reward trade target.

Ten Reasons Why the Lakers Should Prioritize Trading for Myles Turner!

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While the Los Angeles Lakers have seemingly embraced small ball with Anthony Davis at the five, Frank Vogel still likes playing two bigs, especially when one is an inside-out shapeshifter like AD who can play big or small.

We saw Vogel’s love for two bigs Sunday when he started Jordan at center and Davis at power forward, hoping to reverse the trend of the ‘too small’ Lakers getting killed on the boards and losing the points-in-the-paint battle. The Lakers miss having the 6′ 9,” 245 lb Markieff Morris, who combined with 6′ 9,’ 250 lb LeBron James, and 6′ 10,” 253 lb Anthony Davis to anchor the bully ball version of small-ball-on-steroids that won the 2020 championship.

As Vogel works to find lineups that give the Lakers more size, we’re likely to see more games Frank plays two bigs rather than going small with AD at the five. After all, he prefers two bigs and Anthony Davis prefers to play the five. Which raises the question of whether the big move the Lakers should make at the trade deadline should be one designed to allow them to play two bigs while still playing the same five-out offense and rotating pressure defense.

Here are ten reasons why the Lakers’ top priority at the trade deadline should be trade for Pacers’ center Myles Turner, who would dramatically improve the Lakers short-term and long-term chances to win more championships.

  1. Better Rim Protection. Combining Myles Turner, #1 with 3.1 blocks per game, with Anthony Davis, #3 with 2.3 blocks per game, would enable the Lakers to have an elite shot blocker in the game for all 48 minutes.
  2. Better Perimeter Defense. An elite shot blocker on the court all the time would enable the Lakers’ perimeter defenders to pressure the ball more aggressively knowing there always was a rim protector backing them up.
  3. Better Rebounding. Great defensive stops usually end by securing the rebound and adding 6′ 11,” 250 lb Myles Turner, who’s averaging a career best 7.5 rebounds per game, including 1.5 on the offensive end.
  4. Better Floor Spacing. Myles Turner’s 42.2% on 4.4 threes per game would provide critical spacing for LeBron, AD, and Russ to attack the paint and get to the rim. 51.6% of Turner’s shots are from three.
  5. Better Vertical Gravity. One of weapons the Lakers miss from their championship season are the dunks off lobs to McGee and Howard. 48.8% of Turner’s shots are 2-pointers and 21,6% dunks at the rim.
  6. AD Plays the Four. Allowing Anthony Davis to play his preferred power forward position is one of the biggest benefits of trading for Turner. Two stretch fives who can also attack and protect the rim is a big advantage.
  7. LeBron Plays the Three. Looking at how LeBron is playing this year, the Lakers might be better off with him playing the three, where he can be more of a point forward and 3-point shooter, than banging at the four.
  8. Team Gets Bigger. Frank likes size and adding Turner at stretch five adds more size and versatility than a comparable small or power forward. Can’t get bigger than LeBron, AD, and Myles at the three, four, and five.
  9. Team Gets Younger. At 25, Myles Turner is three years younger than Anthony Davis and gives the Lakers a dynamic young center to pair with AD once LeBron James has retired. Suddenly, Lakers are younger.
  10. Avoid Losing Free Agents. A Turner trade could cost Horton-Tucker, who at 20-years old is still a year or two away from stardom, and Nunn and Monk, for whom we lack Bird rights and would lose in free agency.

While the simpler solution for the Lakers would be to trade for a bigger (6′ 6″ to 6′ 9″) 3&D wing to supplement Ariza, trading instead for a shot blocking stretch five like Myles Turner has a bigger upside for Lakers’ championships.

How the Lakers’ Big Gamble on Talen Horton-Tucker Could Be Critical Win!

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The Lakers refused to trade him for Kyle Lowry and re-signed him rather than Alex Caruso but Talen Horton-Tucker has emerged as the backcourt candidate best suited to pair with Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup.

The Lakers signed Ellington, Monk, Nunn, Bradley, and Bazemore looking for a 3&D backcourt mate for Russell Westbrook only to discover they already had the player they needed in 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker. While the sample size is just three games without LeBron James, THT appears to have hit the ground running, unleashing a remarkable third year breakout after missing the start of the season due to thumb surgery.

In his first three games of the season, Horton-Tucker has averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 34.3 minutes per game with solid 49.0/40.0/100% shooting splits and the third best net rating on the team. Talen has not only earned a major spot in the rotation but also has a shot to win starting shooting guard if he continues to play near this level. It’s totally intoxicating to think about the impact this version of THT could have.

Talen will have to prove his 3-point shooting is for real but his confidence is high and he trusts the work he’s put in to improve his mechanics and muscle memory and is not at all surprised that he has gotten off to a great start.

Could Westbrook and Horton-Tucker Be Lakers’ Backcourt of the Future?

Once the Lakers traded for Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker went from a likely starter to an unlikely starter as Russ, LeBron, and AD need to be surrounded by proven 3-point shooters, which as a career 28.5% THT is not.

Ironically, the Westbrook trade could have undermined THT’s career with the Lakers. Before the trade, talk was of Talen possibly starting this season. Once the trade was made, the Lakers aggressively signed multiple shooters. Everything suddenly changed for Talen and starting seemed like a long shot. Talk was he and Russ were both were poor shooting, paint-seeking, rim-attacking, ball-dominant guards who couldn’t win playing together.

While three games is not enough to make a reliable judgement, the elite play of Horton-Tucker over the last three games has been extremely encouraging, especially the solid 40% completion rate from deep on 6.7 threes per game. That’s the high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting the Lakers need next to Westbrook. THT’s Kawhi-sized hands, 7′ 1″ wingspan, low center of gravity, and physicality at both ends make him a perfect fit next to Russ.

In the three games played with THT, Russ averaged 19.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 10.0 assists in 33.7 minutes per game with 43.5/31.5/81.3% shooting splits. 10 assists and 4.7 turnovers per game is mostly Good Russ. Over the three games, Russ and THT combined to average 42.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 12 assists. They shot 36.1% on 12 threes per game and were two of just three Lakers players with positive plus/minus and net ratings.

While Russ and Talen won’t get the same touches and opportunities when LeBron returns, they could be one of those unexpected outside-the-box pairings that could become a Lakers’ championship staple at both ends.

What does a Westbrook/Horton-Tucker Backcourt Mean for the Lakers?

The Westbrook/Horton-Tucker Lakers backcourt sets the stage for the Lakers to recreate the physically dominant small ball lineup they used to win their 17th NBA championship over the Miami Heat in the bubble a year ago.

Rob Pelinka and Frank Vogel’s vision for this Lakers team is similar to the vision they had for the championship team except more offense. Basically, the Lakers want to physically dominate opponents with size and athleticism. Pairing the 6′ 4″ 234 lb Talen Horton-Tucker with the 6′ 4″ 200 lb Russell Westbrook gives the Lakers a more physical and athletic backcourt than this year’s Westbrook/Bradley backcourt or the KCP/Green bubble backcourt.

Of course, to make this work, Russ and Talen need to shoot better from deep than they did last year, when Westbrook shot 31.5% from three on 4.8 attempts per game and Horton-Tucker 28.2% on 2.9 attempts per game. That’s why the injuries have been so frustrating because they’ve prevented the player for whom the offensive and defensive schemes were created from playing. But LeBron is close to returning and Ariza not far behind.

Aside from pairing two alpha dog rim-attackers who can regularly contribute 20 points per game, Russ and THT bring an elite level of physicality on defense Ellington, Monk, Nunn, Bradley, Bazemore, or Reaves could not. With Westbrook at the one, Horton-Tucker at the two, James at the three, Ariza at the four, and Davis at the five, the Lakers would have five players with the athleticism and physicality to dominate their opposing counterpart.

Even the Lakers didn’t expect Talen Horton-Tucker to have elevated his game to this level, although they obviously knew it was coming. Their big gamble to keep him instead of trading him may have just started paying off. What I love most about Horton-Tucker going off is the news has been lost in the articles by the gloating anti-Lakers media over the team’s early season struggles. They didn’t even notice yet that Talen Horton-Tucker has arrived.

Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, James, Ariza, and Davis would be a bully ball starting lineup that could play the style of rotating defense the Lakers’ championship team did but with a lot more offensive firepower.