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Counting Our Blessings As Lakers Fans As We Head into a New Year!

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The image of LeBron’s evolution from high school prodigy to Cavs rookie to Heatles hero to Cavs redeemer to Lakers savior is a reminder of the long and winding road that finally brought the King to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sometimes it’s hard to smile and feel good about anything when everything around you seems to be falling apart and the world we used to know seems like a distant memory until you remember the Lakers are NBA champions. For die hard fans like me, the Lakers winning the championship in the bubble in October was better than even my Yankees winning a World Series. I can say with no exaggeration that it was the greatest championship ever.

With Covid-19 killing thousands every day, millions out of work and unable to support their families, and children going hungry, the idea something as trivial and unimportant as sports can be a blessing is almost inconceivable. But that’s what’s special about human fortitude and resilience, the ability see past disaster and dismay, to smile in the face of fate and misfortune, to persevere and believe things will get better and good times will return.

Sports has always been our safety valve, our escape vehicle when everyday life became suffocating. Whether an endless war or now a never ending pandemic, America has always been able to turn to sports for needed relief. That’s what millions of Lakers fans did less than three months ago as the purple and gold survived unprecedented challenges to win their 17th NBA championship in an arena without fans in the bubble in Orlando, Florida.

And don’t believe for a moment the Lakers finally winning that elusive 17th championship the same year we lost Kobe Bryant to tragedy was simple coincidence. The Lakers were inspired to win that title for Kobe Bryant.

Now, as we prepare to usher in a new year as the pandemic rages wild, the Lakers once again may be our only respite from the daily horrors Covid-19 continues to inflict on our families, friends, neighbors, and communities.

While the Lakers face another championship campaign transformed by the pandemic, it’s important we count our blessings as fans and ignore the never satisfied ‘what-have-you-done-for-me-lately’ Twitter fed universe. Don’t let the sluggish start to the season after the shortest offseason in professional sports history dim the bright reality that the Lakers had the best offseason and are even better than last season’s championship team.

Those blessings start with LeBron James, still at 36-years old the best player on the planet showing no signs of slowing down and unquestionably the catalyst behind the Lakers’ resurrection after ten years of disappointment. Earvin Johnson’s brief reign running the Lakers’ front office was definitely flawed but his free agent signing of LeBron James triggered the team’s revival and earned him the team’s gratitude and a 2020 championship ring.

After Magic Johnson and LeBron James, next on or list of Lakers’ blessings come owner Jeanie Buss and the late Kobe Bryant, the duo responsible for hiring, promoting, and trusting Rob Pelinka to run the team’s front office. When Rob took over, the Lakers had become a laughing stock in the media with daily stories regaling the dysfunction and incompetence of the front office and predicting a franchise destined for a doom and gloom future.

Jeanie’s decision to trust Kobe and empower Rob despite critics was the turning point as it took Pelinka just six months to steady the ship, trade for Anthony Davis, hire Frank Vogel as coach, and build a championship team. The rest is history: Vogel was the perfect coach, LeBron and AD the best superstar pairing in the league, and the supporting cast Pelinka assembled after being spurned by Kawhi the ideal roster to prevail in the bubble.

Watching the Lakers receive their championship rings last week in an empty Staples Center was a bittersweet reminder of the daunting challenge they overcame and the bright beacon of hope they shone in a world gone dark.

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2020, the Lakers face a challenge similar to what they confronted in the bubble but also different. While there are still no fans in the arenas, there’s also no bubble to protect teams from Covid. Players are left like the rest of us to create their own bubbles, to make smart decisions how to protect themselves and their teammates. How they handle this responsibility will determine their fate and the next NBA champion.

Like in the bubble, strong leadership, chemistry, culture, and commitment and a deeper and more talented roster than last season will give the Lakers an edge that should bode well for their chances or repeating as champions. While the new season started just 71 days after last season ended with a compressed and shortened to 72-games schedule and a raging pandemic, I’m smiling because the Lakers remain the odds on favorites to win again.

Frank Vogel is still the perfect coach, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still the best two players, and the roster Rob Pelinka and the front office assembled a dramatic upgrade and the best and deepest in the league. While politics are still a mess, the states are struggling to vaccinate millions, and the economy years from full recovery, Lakers fans are again blessed by the ultimate distraction from everyday worries: a championship quest.

The old normal is long gone and nobody knows for sure what the new normal will end up being and we still keep hearing we’re not out of the woods and the next few months could well be the darkest yet to come. While the new year won’t end the pandemic, the vaccines promise light at the end of the tunnel and the Lakers’ quest for an 18th NBA championship will give us another chance to escape all the the gloom and celebrate.

So please build your own smart bubble and safely celebrate the new year by watching the Lakers continue their quest for their 18th NBA championship. That’s the way to be sure you’ll here in July when we hoist the banner.

Happy New Year, Lakerholics!

5 Things: Blazers Hand Lakers 2nd loss

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Marc Gasol gets his chance to start! Might be a smart move to give Dre some time off to get that toe well. It may be why he has not played well.

Going to miss Morris though. Who’s going to guard Tatum? I guess Kuzma. Going to be a challenging game. But winnable.

5 Things: Lakers beat Mavs

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This one’s on the late side, had X-mas duties to wrangle yesterday. But the nice thing was the Lakers notched their first W of the season. While this will not go down as the “defensive masterpiece” that was game 6 of the NBA Finals a win is a win.

Banyan slays.
  1. Three 20+ point scorers in one game. With the 18 points Schroder tossed in right behind. I never got around to digging the facts on this theory up but I’ll wager that we had 3 20+ point scorers in one game maybe 4 times last season? No more than five. Feels like Rondo might have had a hot game, maybe Danny Green? Kuzma probably had 2, maybe 3. At any rate I could see this sort of thing happening with far more regularity than in any recent season. A good problem to have, especially when the defense wasn’t really locked in for large parts of the game.
  2. Trezz!!! Man does this guy play with a ton of energy. But the best thing about his energy is how focused it is. It’s not like we haven’t had energy guys in the past. Larry Nance Jr. and even Julius Randle played with a lot of vim and vigor. What he lacks in size he more than makes up in tenacity and grit. Trezz showcased some nice range on his baseline and up 15-20′ jump shot and was ridiculously efficient.
  3. Out-working the Mavs on the glass. Trezz and his 7 boards was one of 5 Lakers who had 7+ rebounds (the team was led by Marc Gasol who had 9 in limited minutes) and our 53 rebounds was one of the ways we took it to the Mavs in an area they are weak in. With no Porzingis to clean the glass the Mavs were -26 in the rebound battle. If we can control the rebounding game like we did last night we’ll set ourselves up for a lot of success.
  4. Schroder’s sneaky-good. I can see why he and his agent wanted to wait until the season started to talk extension. In the off-season the Lakers were hampered by cap rules. They can go bigger and they probably will because this guy is good now and getting better. Playing alongside talent like AD and LBJ can be intimidating, cause guys so second-guess open shots or kick out to one of their uber-talented teammates in lieu of an easy lay up. Not Dennis. He already looks just fine waving LeBron into the corner and taking it to the hole. This should be encouraged because we’re going to want that ability to be unlocked to it’s fullest. LeBron needs to be ready for the playoffs and if he’s feeling it you can be sure he’ll have the rock. But on nights when Dennis has it going let him make a name for himself. It’ll help the team overall now and on down the line.
  5. Marc Gasol’s improved play. I re-watched this game to see if I felt the same ay after watching Marc trundled around specifically during his time on the floor. I think that in some ways my expectations are too high for this point in the season. My concern is his overall conditioning hasn’t looked good since the Bubble. Looked off in the Bubble, camp and early on in the season. Just isn’t looking to score in any meaningful way. Which is fine, points from guys like him at this stage in his NBA career are gravy points. He led the team in rebounds (in only 20 minutes of play) and made some great outlet passes that led to buckets or hockey assists. I’d like to see he and Caruso and THT get some time together, have his passing be as much the PG as anything else in some half court sets and his outlet passes free up LeBron, Schroder and Davis for easy break points rather than to focus on bringing the ball across the timeline. I also don’t feel like we’ve seen him in a favorable match up. How does he play against the Embiid’s and Jokic’s of the game? Even Kat and Vucevic are better matchups than Powell whose game is all speed and hops. There’s more here to unearth, it’s early and Gasol is a champ. Might not start by the end of the season but you never know.

All in all a pretty sweet win against a potential playoff opponent. The Mavericks looked like they were missing a HOF center and so in some ways this wasn’t the best test for our young season but nobody looks back at the W’s and critiques the why’s and wherefor’s. They just count ’em up. So, to that, the Lakers are an e-ticket draw and will play at an e-ticket level sooner than later.

E-Ticket Ride by Banyan (written by the incredible Mike Watt)

Why the Los Angeles Lakers Envision Anthony Davis as a Stretch Five Center

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At the heart of the Lakers’ vision for the future is Anthony Davis as a stretch five center. That’s why Frank Vogel wants him to shoot more threes per game and why the Lakers dumped traditional centers McGee and Howard.

While the Lakers don’t want Davis to endure the physical wear-and-tear of playing traditional low post centers in the paint, they clearly understand they’re at their best as a team when he is playing the five instead of the four. The stats and the eye test confirm this so the Lakers’ goal is to figure out how they can play him at the five for more minutes or even all of the time. Part of the answer is for Anthony Davis to become more of a stretch five.

While old school traditionalist complain that takes Davis away from the basket and dilutes his impact on offense, the reality is AD is best in space, where he can use his handle and gravity as a shooter to attack defenses. Playing Davis like a traditional low post center on offense presents the same problems as having him defend more rugged opposing centers in the paint. He’s more of a finesse player like Kareem than a power player like Shaq.

Instead, the Lakers have a vision for Anthony Davis where he is a stretch five on offense and a roaming defensive free safety and help rim protector on defense, which requires pairing him with bigs that complement him. Offensively, he needs a big who can stretch the floor like Gasol or Morris to create spacing to attack. Defensively, he needs a big like Morris or Harrell with the size and strength to hold their ground against opposing centers.

While the Lakers will miss McGee’s and Howard’s rim protection, they learned in the playoffs that traditional low post centers who clog the paint on offense and can’t guard on the perimeter on defense were unplayable. Ideally, the Lakers need a modern center like Indiana’s Myles Turner, who can stretch the floor on offense and protect the rim and guard the perimeter on defense. That may be the Lakers’ top priority going forward.

Meanwhile, the Lakers decided Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell would be better solutions to complement Anthony Davis than JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard as they obviously did not want to bring back either of them. Gasol has good 3-point shooting and playmaking ability but may not be able to defend in the paint or on the perimeter. Harrell, while undersized, has a mid-range shot and the energy and athleticism to be a plus defender.

While we’ve only played two regular season games, Gasol has struggled to have an impact while Harrell has been even better than the Lakers had hoped, providing relentless hustle and energy at both ends of the court. Hopefully, Gasol will start to play better though he could become this season’s JaVale McGee, who starts the first and third quarters. So far the best solution may be Harrell and Morris sharing time alongside Davis.

We’ve seen the same pattern so far in the Lakers’ first two games when Marc Gasol goes to the bench. Davis plays the five on offense but it’s Harrell or Morris who defend the opposing team’s center, leaving Davis to roam. It’s the perfect strategy to optimize Davis at both ends of the court with minimal wear-and-tear. Offensively, he operates best facing up his opponent in space. Defensively, he plays best as a help defender and shot blocker.

Right now Morris does a better job than Harrell defending the opposing team’s center but expect Trezz to become better as he becomes acclimated to the role and learns how to take advantage of playing alongside Anthony. While Harrell does not have the 3-point shooting stroke to stretch the defense like Morris does, he has his own gravity as a rebounder and shooter who can hit mid-range jumpers from the baseline and complement Davis.

For now, Frank Vogel will continue to encourage Anthony Davis to shoot the three ball and Markieff Morris and Montrezl Harrell will continue to defend opposing centers when Lakers go ‘small’ and AD becomes a stretch five. That’s why all the worry about the Gasol’s slow start and the Lakers letting McGee and Howard walk aren’t important in the short or long term. The Lakers have their plan for the future and it’s Anthony Davis as a stretch five.

Ten Gifts I’m Hoping the Los Angeles Lakers Give their Fans This Christmas!

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The Los Angeles Lakers have been a bright beacon of hope for basketball fans throughout this dark and stormy 2020 so I’m hoping they’ll bring even more joy as we struggle through this Christmas without family and friends.

Best wishes to everybody in the Lakerholics family. May you enjoy a warm and wonderful holiday with loved ones safe and secure in your hearts if not with you. Here are the ten gifts I’m hoping the Lakers will give us tonight:

1. A Win Over the Dallas Mavericks

Neither team wants to start the season 0–2 so both will be looking to rebound from disappointing opening games. Dallas lost in Phoenix 106–102. Lakers lost to Clippers 116–109 after championship ring ceremony.

2. Less Than 100 Points for Mavs

Lakers defense was AWOL against the Clippers, especially when PG went supernova late in the third quarter and throughout the fourth quarter. Lakers need to show they can still play elite D despite the chance in centers.

3. 35 Points for LeBron James

LeBron James will pass Kobe Bryant and become the NBA’s all-time leading Christmas day scorer in if he scores 35 points in today’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Kobe leads with 395 points while LeBron has 361 points.

4. Redemption Game for Marc Gasol

Gasol probably had the worst first game as a Laker of any elite player who donned a purple and gold uniform, posting 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 1 assist in 12 foul plagued minutes. Marc needs to redeem his rep tonight.

5. Bounce Back game for Wes

Brought in to replace Danny Green’s shooting and defense, Wes struggled mightily in the Lakers loss to the Clippers, going 0–2 from deep and getting torched on D by Kawhi and PG. Wes needs big bounce back game tonight.

6. Triple-Double for Dennis

Schroder got the start at point guard he wanted after coming off the bench for the Thunder the last two seasons and finishing second for the 6MOY award last season. Time for Dennis the Menace to solidify his starting role.

7. Double-Double for Trezz

Harrell had an excellent opening game for the Lakers, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to the Clippers, his former team. Looking for Trezz to continue to show he can man the Lakers’ backup center role tonight.

8. Come Back Night for Alex

Alex had a poor night shooting and handling the ball against the Clippers, clanking his first three triples before finally making one and turning the ball over three times in critical situations. AC needs a big come back night.

9. More Talen Horton-Tucker

Talen had an excellent opening game posting the team’s best net rating and second best plus/minus rating but only played 11 minutes. We need to see THT get at least 15 minutes in tonight’s game as the backup point guard.

10. Everybody Safe and Healthy

Everybody remembers how LeBron’s groin injuring in the Christmas day blowout of the Warriors two years ago derailed the Lakers season. The last thing the Lakers want to see is any player get injured in tonight’s game.