Lakerholics

A Lakers Fan Community

Jeanie Buss

Has Time Come for James & Davis to Force Pelinka to Trade Russ & Picks?

By 22 Comments

Without Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers have now lost four straight games and fallen to 13th in the West at 13–20, 3.0 games out of 10th and the Play-In Tournament and 5.0 games out of 6th and guaranteed playoffs.

The good news is the West is wide open, LeBron James is playing dominant basketball, and Anthony Davis appears to have dodged a major injury and could be back on court to resume his MVP/DPOY campaign mid-January. 
The bad news is recent reports say the Lakers’ front office is now leaning to not trading either of the team’s two available draft picks unless the deeply flawed team they created can somehow show again they’re worth backing.

Enough is enough. It’s one thing to screw up and make a dumb trade for Russell Westbrook, a move that basically locked the Lakers into a financial straight jacket they haven’t been smart or proactive enough to get out of. 
But then to claim that now they’re not going to do anything more because they’re afraid of compounding previous mistakes with win-now moves? That’s a totally self-serving and strategically stupid position to take.

The solution is just to be smart about what you get back for Westbrook, Beverley, Nunn, Jones, and the two first round draft picks. That should be enough to bring back at least four legitimate starters or rotation players. 
Those four players should include a starting and backup 3&D wing to play small forward, a backup rim protecting center to start now and backup AD when he returns, and a bigger 3&D point guard to replace Westbrook.

Add those four new players to a six-player nucleus from the current roster of James, Davis, Reaves, Bryant, Schröder, and Christie and you have a stronger and deeper Lakers’ 10-man rotation that could be a contender.

Time for LeBron and AD to Demand Action?

The time has come for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to show Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss and VPBO Rob Pelinka that it’s the superstars, not the owners or genera managers, who hold the real reins of power in the NBA. 

James and Davis need to remind Pelinka and Buss they’ll be free agents at the end of next season and, if the Lakers expect to re-sign them, they need to trade Westbrook and the picks now to give this roster a chance to win.
Failing to take advantage of how wide open the Western Conference is this season and how dominant both James and Davis have been when healthy despite the terribly constructed roster and would be a major mistake. 

The Lakers’ problem is not that there aren’t legitimate starters or rotation players they could trade for. It’s that there aren’t any ‘superstars’ available to trade for. Pelinka’s great fear of missing a big trade has paralyzed him. 
The result has been the easy decision to do nothing as the team loses more games and the hole they’re going to have to dig their way out of gets deeper and deeper. We’ve reached a point where only James and Davis can save us.

The front office would argue that James and Davis are the reason why the Lakers are in the situation they are, because they foolishly championed trading for Russell Westbrook and need to accept their share of blame.
While James and Davis do deserve some blame for Westbrook, it’s Rob Pelinka’s job as general manger to make the decision to trade for Russell Westbrook and Jeanie Buss’ job as owner to officially approve the move.

In the end, we’re reached the point where nobody but LeBron James and Anthony Davis can save this season. The Lakers superstars need to flex their power and force Rob Pelinka to trade Westbrook and the picks.

Which Trade Targets Are Good Fits?

The Lakers should split their two picks up, using one pick to facilitate a Westbrook trade and the other to facilitate a Beverley, Nunn, and Jones trade. Ideally, the Lakers need to bring back at least four rotation payers.

Those four new Lakers players should include at least two new starters, a bigger 3&D wing to start at small forward and a point guard who can shoot the three, attack the rim, and distribute the ball without turning it over.
Starting small forward candidates include Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma, O.G. Anunoby, Eric Gordon, and DeMar DeRozan. Starting point guard candidates are Terry Rozier, Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet.

The Lakers also need a backup center who can start until Anthony Davis returns and then provide rim protection when AD is not in the game, and a backup 3&D small forward to give them two new defenders with size. 
Backup center candidates are Myles Turner, Mo Bamba, Jakob Poeltl, and Kristaps Porzingis. Backup small forward candidates are Cam Reddish, Doug McDermott, Saddiq Bey, Terrence Ross, and Otto Porter, Jr.

The key to saving the season is not just making trades but making smart trades. The Lakers must start with the principle they’re not going to give up a first round draft pick for any player(s) who aren’t good long-term fits.
That means only acquiring players who give us size, shooting, and defense and only accepting contracts that represent fair value and can be traded. The right package of players could transform the Lakers into contenders.

Team building about the draft, free agency, and trades. The Lakers did as good a job in the draft and free agency as was possible but we’ve always known the Lakers couldn’t build a winning team without trading Russ.

Could Shaq Version of Anthony Davis Be Better for Lakers Than Bubble AD?

By 5 Comments

It’s a tiny 3-game sample size early in the season but watching Anthony Davis dominating in the post like Shaquille O’Neal has hopeful Lakers fans wondering if rookie coach Darvin Ham has figured out how to unlock AD.

Davis sudden breakout play couldn’t have come at a better time for the Lakers as early injuries, poor shooting, and a tough schedule put them in a 2–10 hole that had the front office questioning if the season could be saved.
Two injury-plagued losing years fueled by self-inflicted mistakes had paralyzed the Lakers’ front office with some wanting to move forward with a mega trade and others to save the picks for a major rebuild next summer.

With a 3-game win streak, the 5–10 Lakers have 5 games left — Suns, Spurs, and Spurs on the road and the Pacers and Blazers at home — of the 20 games Pelinka said he would give the team before any trade decisions. 
Could the Lakers do the impossible, upset the Suns tomorrow night in Phoenix, trounce the Spurs twice in San Antonio, and finally come home to Los Angeles to beat the Pacers and Blazers and finish November 10–10?

The 10–6 Suns have struggled recently going just 5–5 over their last 10 games although they are 8–1 at home, where they will play the Lakers tomorrow night. It’s still unknown whether LeBron will play tomorrow.
The Lakers and Anthony Davis will have an opportunity to see how their new winning formula works when they’re playing an elite team like the Phoenix Suns with an elite quality starting center like Deandre Ayton.

The Lakers have a legitimate opportunity to climb out of the early 2–10 hole they dug themselves because Anthony Davis was able to take the baton from an injured LeBron James and dominate like Shaquille O’Neal.

What Are Differences Between ‘Shaq AD’ and ‘Bubble AD?’

So how does the Shaquille O’Neal version of Anthony Davis that we’ve seen the last three games compare with the Bubble version of Anthony Davis that along with LeBron James earned the Lakers 18th NBA championship?

While it’s only been three games, the eye test suggests Shaq AD could be better for the Lakers than Bubble AD as he appears to be taking more shots at the rim and fewer long twos and threes, which is far more efficient.
A quick look at the stats confirms during the last three games that Davis is shooting 73.5% of his shots within 5 feet of the rim compared to just 55% during the 2019–20 regular season and 33% during 2019–20 playoffs.

By focusing his offense more on attacking the paint and rim and less on taking long midrange twos and threes, Anthony Davis has dramatically changed his game and made himself a more dangerous low post threat.
That’s why comparing Anthony Davis’ new game to the dominant game of former Lakers’ center Shaquille O’Neal, who basically took half of his 20 shots within 5 feet and half within 9 feet of the rim, makes sense.

During the three-game stretch, Anthony Davis has averaged 35.0 points, 17.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 blocks in 31.8 minutes per game. That represents his best three game stretch wearing purple and gold. Because he’s taking a higher percentage of his shots closer to the basket, Davis was able to hit 61.7% of his field goals during the three games and attack the offensive backboards to average 5 offensive boards per game.

While it’s only been three games, it does appear the Darvin Ham has figured out how to unlock Anthony Davis by having him play more like Shaquille O’Neal and take more shots at the rim than the perimeter.

(2019–20 Season) 26.1/9.3/3.2 shooting 50.3%/33.3%/84.6% on 17.1/3.5/8.5
(2010–20 Playoffs) 27.7/9.7/3.5 shooting 57.1%/38.3%/83.2% on 17.1/2.2/8.4

(2022–23 Season) 25.6/12.0/2.4 shooting 55.4%/21.1%/81.4% on 17.8/1.4/6.9
(Last 3 Games) 35.0/17.3/2.0 shooting 61.7%/0.0%/91.2% on 20.0/1.0/11.3

What Happens When LeBron James Returns From Injury?

It’s been a long time coming because of injuries and poorly constructed rosters but it finally looks like Anthony Davis is ready to take the baton from LeBron James as the face and alpha superstar of the Lakers.

Like the transitions of many great sports figures, Davis’ ascension to the throne as the Lakers lead superstar was facilitated by untimely groin and foot injuries to LeBron James that opened the door for AD to dominate.
The big question for Darvin Ham and the Lakers is now how to re-integrate LeBron James into the rotation without taking away the critical touches and possessions that have allowed Anthony Davis to dominant in the paint.

Until the last three games, Anthony Davis averaged 17.8 field goal attempts per game compared to LeBron James’ 21.9 field goal attempts per game. In those three games, AD raised his total shot attempts to 20.0 per game. 
Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves also got additional shot attempts due to James being out with injuries. The key strategy for the Lakers going forward may be for LeBron to return as more of a facilitator than scorer.

In many ways, shifting the focus of the Lakers’ offense from LeBron James to Anthony Davis has been the team’s goal since winning their 18th NBA championship in the bubble in 2020 so it’s great he has this opportunity. 
Fortunately for the Lakers, LeBron James has always envisioned Anthony Davis taking over the baton from him so it’s likely he’ll appreciate the opportunity to step back, play fewer minutes, and let AD dominate.

The Lakers need to make sure re-integrating LeBron James back into their rotation will not take away from the monster impact that Anthony Davis playing like Shaquille O’Neal could have on the Lakers playoff hopes.

Can Shaq Version of Anthony Davis Lead Lakers to Championship?

Lakers’ management and fans losing faith that Anthony Davis would take the baton from LeBron James as the team’s next transcendent superstar player was obviously a way-too-early knee-jerk reaction to a tough start.

And while three games is not a fair sample size, the results clearly show that Anthony Davis can be as dominant as any superstar in the league. Most pundits have already restored him to his former top-five NBA player status.
The timing of Davis sudden takeover of the team could not be better for the Lakers and LeBron James, who now can take whatever time he needs to heal his groin and foot and hopefully go on cruise control until playoffs.

With Father Time relentlessly undercutting James’ health and athleticism, now is the ideal time for the Lakers to shift focus of their offense to AD with LeBron focusing more on playmaking and defense than scoring.
Just a side note but you have to wonder whether LeBron might resist a role because of how close he is to breaking Kareem’s scoring record. There are many smart reasons for the Lakers to scale LeBron back in regular season.

While Anthony Davis still has to prove he can stay on the court, he’s finally looking like the top-five player he used to be before the last two frustrating injury-filled years. Tomorrow night against Ayton will be a big test.
Anthony Davis knows he’s had a huge physical edge over his opponents in the last three games. Deandre Ayton and the Suns will be as good a quick test on whether Shaq AD is good enough to lead the Lakers to victory.

Anthony Davis has the talent to take the baton from LeBron James and become the team’s go-to player. If Davis can dominate Deandre Ayton tomorrow night, he may be ready to lead Lakers to a championship.

Five Reasons Why Lakers Ultimately Will Trade Westbrook and Two Picks!

By 9 Comments

Pelinka sagely preaches patience as the proscribed best case cure for the disastrous reckless actions last offseason that led to what could easily be the worst season in the modern history of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

But Pelinka now has reason to be patient, buoyed by Sunday night’s big win behind Anthony Davis, four days off to integrate now healthy Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant, and a favorable schedule the next 7 games.
We’ve learned every ‘if’ is a big ‘if’ with the Lakers but if Davis can continue to play at a high level and James, Schröder, and Bryant are healthy and ready to play, the Lakers could win 6 of next 7 and end November 9–11. 

Seeing the Lakers turn their early season around would be certainly be welcome news for the Lakers’ front office that’s been under siege for their questionable roster construction and poor personnel decision making. 
The improvement should allay any fears the Lakers’ front office may have had as to whether the current roster, including superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, was worth investing two very valuable draft picks.

What’s known for sure is the Lakers’ current roster needs more size and better shooting to be a legitimate championship contender. The bigger question is can this front office trade for the ‘right’ players this time? 
The options of tanking this season to accumulate cap space and draft picks to fuel a monster makeover next summer or trading LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis and rebuilding were always just click-bait pipe dreams.

Bottom line, the Los Angeles Lakers have no viable options other than to trade Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks. Here are five key reasons why the Lakers ultimately make the big trade:

1. Reassure Fan Base Lakers Always Play to Win the Championship

Jeanie Buss is proud to say that the Lakers never tank and the single biggest reason the Lakers need to trade Russ and their two picks is to reassure their fanbase they always play to win the championship and will never tank.


2. Strengthen Image of Lakers As Home for NBA’s Greatest Superstars 

Jeanie also wants the Lakers to be where great NBA superstars want to go and going all-in and trading Russ and the picks to help LeBron is exactly the move that will make future superstars want to wear purple and gold.

3. Keep Promises to LeBron James to Trade Picks to Upgrade Roster

The Lakers know keeping their promise to LeBron to trade the picks has to be done. Not keeping that promise would be lethal to their relationship. That’s why the Lakers have no choice but to trade Russ and the picks.

4. Solidify Mutually Beneficial Relationship with Klutch Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers and Klutch Sports Group have built a powerful alliance that has been mutually beneficial to both organizations. Lakers need to trade Russ and picks to solidify their relationship with Klutch.

5. Ensure Pelicans Don’t Swap Picks to Draft Victor Wembanyama

The Lakers biggest fear if they do not trade Russ and the picks to get better is that they may end up so deep in the lottery that they might end up giving Victor Wembanyama as an additional piece in the Anthony Davis trade.

Lakers Cannot Allow Weight of Russell Westbrook Decision to Paralyze Them

By 2 Comments

After a slow start with James and Davis struggling, the factor in the Lakers’ front office who were against trading the team’s two picks before camp now are questioning whether LeBron and AD are still worth giving up the picks.

The argument that’s apparently made the Lakers’ front office even less willing to trade their two available picks is James and Davis appear to be on the decline so far this season and may not be worth giving up the picks. That the Lakers’ front office would be thinking this after just 9 games with James sick and injured and Davis playing great defensively just shows how the heavy weight of the Russell Westbrook decision has paralyzed them.

This continued split between decision makers in the Lakers’ front office is concerning as it creates an environment where the team could easily make a disastrous decision that damages the franchise’s future competitiveness. Nobody knows who’s in favor of trading and whose not but what’s obvious is Lakers’ VP of Basketball Operations and General Manger Rob Pelinka has all but relinquished or lost the right to make the Westbrook trade decision. 

Pelinka did that right before the start of camp when he decided at the very last minute not to trade Russell Westbrook and the 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks to the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. Claiming that the decision was so monumental to the franchise’s future that everybody involved had to be willing to sign off on the trade was a foolish blunder that’s paralyzed the Lakers’ Westbrook trade efforts. 

Pelinka’s decision to change the process from him simply making the decision as he is paid to do to the entire front office group having to reach unanimity will make it much more difficult for the Lakers to trade Russ. We’ve already seen that the Lakers’ front office group, which includes Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss, Kurt and Linda Rambis, and Joey and Jesse Buss, could not come to a unanimous decision to trade for Turner and Hield.

The 2–8 Los Angeles Lakers are rapidly reaching the critical point where the hole in the standings they have dug with the current roster will become so deep there’s no trade that can produce enough wins to dig their way out. Right now, short of a straight trade of Anthony Davis for Kevin Durant, the Lakers may have a difficult time finding a trade that will satisfy everybody in their front office. Right now, they aren’t even talking to any teams.

Bottom line, it’s time for Jeanie to take charge and either tell Rob the decision is his or take it away from him and make it herself. There’s no way the Lakers can intelligently move forward with decision by committee. 

Lakers’ Best Shot at Championship Is Myles Turner and Buddy Hield Trade

By 11 Comments

Lakers’ fans are about to find out how serious Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are about going all-in to win a championship. Get ready because we’re at that point right now. Opportunity has knocked. Will the Lakers answer?

Per Jovan Buha of the Athletic, the Lakers understand the best deal they can get for the assets they have — Russell Westbrook and two first round draft picks — would be trading with the Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. So far, the Pacers have asked for the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks as the price for a Westbrook for Turner and Hield trade and the Lakers have countered with the second pick being a swap or protected.

The Lakers smartly would like to keep one of their first round picks as ammunition to sweeten a possible major midseason trade at the deadline or to combine with their 2023 first round pick in a draft day deal next summer. Besides keeping one of their picks, Pelinka is probably unwilling to make a deal that increases salaries and luxury taxes and prefers to trade only for players with expiring contracts, though that probably depends on player.

To create leverage to get the Pacers to agree to the second pick being a swap or protected, the Lakers are actively seeking a Westbrook trade with the Jazz or Spurs that includes just one pick and no salary and tax increases. That’s a smart strategy as is waiting out the Pacers at this point in time. There is little difference between an unprotected pick or a pick swap to the team receiving the swap since it is by its definition completely unprotected.

In the end, Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss must remember their commitment to their fans as legal guardians of the Los Angeles Lakers brand is to do whatever they can possibly do within reason to win more championships. Their commitment to LeBron James is to use all the tools in their arsenal to surround him with the best possible talent to enable him to win. As is their commitment to Darvin Ham to get him the players he needs for his system.

Nothing is as important as giving the dynamic young coach the Lakers hired to recapture their championship defense and modernize their old school offense a great roster whose skillsets and persona fit what he needs to win. The Beverley trade has given Ham the aggressive point-of-attack guard he needs to fill the role Jrue Holiday played for the Bucks. Now Pelinka needs to get Ham the modern two-way center he needs to fill Brook Lopez’s role.

Trading for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield is the Lakers’ best shot to win a championship this season. Negotiate the best possible terms but walk away from the table with the deal. Not with an empty hand and an extra pick.