Aloha, Michael. LOL.
Best way never to miss is never to shoot.
Of course, we kall now there was never a shot I didn’t like as a player and never a trade opportunityi I wouldn’t explore as a blogger.
Rob Pelinka
Could Lakers Trade for Ben Simmons and Turn Him Into Small Ball Center?
The Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff loss and Ben Simmons’ shooting woes may have given the Los Angeles Lakers an out-of-the-box opportunity to trade for the 24-year old point guard and turn him into a small ball point center.
While it might be a long shot considering the competition and the Lakers’ need for shooting, the idea of Superstar Big Three front court of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Ben Simmons could transform the Lakers. Imagine the Lakers next season with a modern defense anchored by 6′ 9,” 250 lbs LeBron James at small forward, 6′ 10,” 253 Anthony Davis at power forward, and the 6′ 11,” 250 lbs Ben Simmons playing small ball center.
Unlike other former Lakers traditional low post centers like JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, or Andre Drummond, opposing teams would not be able to play Ben Simmons off the floor due to his inability to defend the perimeter. Simmons has the potential to be the perfect prototye of a modern defensive small ball center, a player who can block shots and protect the rim and still switch, rotate, and guard smaller guards and wings outside the paint,
We’re seeing traditional, low post centers consistently getting played off the court when opposing teams go small because they lack the quickness and mobility to defend on the perimeter. It even just happened to Rudy Gobert. With three big, athletic, mobile, and versatile front court defenders capable of guarding all five positions on the court in James, Davis, and Simmons, the Lakers could redefine what defense will look like in tomorrow’s NBA.
The idea of converting Simmons from a point guard to a point center is not new but something the Sixers have considered in the past because his size and skillset are better suited for playing point center than point guard. Simmons’ 6′ 11,” 250 lbs body and 7′ 0″ wingspan combined with his speed, quickness, athleticism, mobility, and defensive instincts make him the ideal candidate to be a modern small ball center in the mold of Draymond Green.
More importantly, trading for Ben Simmons would give the Lakers the third superstar they desperately need to keep pace with the Brooklyn Nets’ Superstar Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. That’s something the Lakers’ Rob Pelinka and Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul have probably already discussed in the aftermath of the Lakers’ disappointing first round exit. Three superstars is great insurance against injuries.
Don’t underestimate the influence Rich Paul could have on what happens to Ben Simmons. It’s no secret that Paul and Klutch Sports have worked closely with Rob Pelinka and the LA Lakers to build a championship caliber squad. Rich and Rob worked closely together to orchestrate Anthony Davis’ trade to the Lakers and you can expect them to be looking for a solution that would add another Klutch Sports client to the eight already on the Lakers’ roster.
The big question is whether the Lakers have enough trading chips to make an offer to compete against offers from other teams that could include star players like Gordon Hayward, Kyle Lowry, CJ McCollum, or Zach LaVine? The best offer the Lakers could make could be a package including small forward Kyle Kuzma, shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and either point guard Dennnis Schroder or shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker.
Needless to say, trading for Simmons would cost the Lakers bench depth and diversity and leave them with few trading chips left to upgrade their 3-point shooting but it would dramatically upgrade their top ranked defense. Doubling down on defense by going all-in on a small ball center would be the Lakers zigging when every other NBA team is zagging but it would also give LeBron James and Anthony Davis the third superstar to be their best.
The Lakers would still have to scramble to find more accurate and prolific 3-point shooters at both guard positions but trading for Simmons would give them the foundation to become the NBA’s dominant defensive juggernaut.
Why Are the Lakers So Obsessed With Andre Drummond Starting at Center?
What’s the story behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ fascination with Andre Drummond ? Do Pelinka and Vogel really believe Drummond at center is the best strategy to take advantage of LeBron James and Anthony Davis?
The Andre Drummond experiment up to this point has been a bust as every key stat clearly demonstrate the Lakers are a better team on offense and defense with Marc Gasol or Anthony Davis at center than the Big Penguin. Frank Vogel continues to ignore the stats that say Davis and James play, shoot, and defend better without Drummond and claims Andre just needs more minutes to learn how to play alongside the Lakers’ superstars.
You can almost see the wheels working in the background as Pelinka and Vogel continue to believe Drummond not only could help the Lakers win the championship this year but might also re-sign with the team long term. Their obsession with a possible James, Davis, and Drummond Big Three has apparently blinded them to Andre’s poor footwork, subpar court presence, low post inefficiency, and inescapable poor fit next to LeBron and AD.
Meanwhile, Frank Vogel has become increasingly defensive about Andre Drummond’s performance, pointing out Andre has not had the benefit of camp and the regular season to develop chemistry for the scheme to work. That’s an argument better made during the regular season than the start of the first round of the playoffs while the Lakers try to re-integrate superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis back from long injuries into the rotation.
What drives me crazy is Vogel not realizing traditional centers change how the Lakers play offense and defense. Andre’s lack of offensive spacing and lack of defensive mobility limits the team’s play at both ends of the court. The Lakers established a gold standard of what to expect during last year’s successful championship run with Anthony Davis playing more than 50% of his time at the five. That’s a proven winning formula you can’t discard.
So what’s really going on here? Do the Lakers really believe Drummond at the five is a championship scheme? Did Andre receive a promise he would be the starter in the playoffs when he signed his free agent contract? Alternatively, have the Lakers decided to dramatically reduce Anthony’s minutes at the five to accommodate his preference for playing power forward? That’s a move they clearly made during the regular season.
Or is the obsession with Drummond just an example of an old school coach like Frank Vogel stubbornly refusing to give up the idea of traditional low post center being the best scheme to anchor the team’s offense and defense. It’s hard to fathom what’s going through Frank Vogel’s mind right now as the Lakers trail the Phoenix Suns 0–1 and could be in danger of suffering a devastating first round loss rather then repeating as champions.
Unfortunately, the time has run out and Frank Vogel needs to abandon his obsession with Andre Drummond and either start Anthony Davis or Marc Gasol at center immediately or risk losing the opportunity to win #18.
Has the NBA Forgotten How Good LeBron James & Anthony Davis Are?
Out of sight and out of mind seems to be how the pipe dream pundits view LeBron James and Anthony Davis as they pimp James Harden, Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Paul George, and other wannabe champions.
The doubt and disrespect is rampant as it seems the NBA has forgotten just how good LeBron James and Anthony Davis are as they write off the Lakers’ chances of repeating as NBA champs and cheer on the same casts of losers. This has become the anybody-but-the-Lakers season as the media pushes the same perennial losers and underachievers like the Clippers, Jazz, Suns, 76ers, Bucks, and Nets while ignoring the defending champion Lakers.
Well, a rude wake up call is coming as Anthony Davis and LeBron James are nearing return. As this manic, injury filled season staggers to the finish line, the Lakers are preparing to unleash a healthy and rested LeBron and AD. Like last year, the Lakers will have to quickly come together and get ready for the playoffs but they will again have a defining competitive advantage because LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be fully rested and healthy.
How important are LeBron James and Anthony Davis and how will their rested and healthy return help the Lakers? Recall LeBron was the near unanimous leader in the MVP race before injuring his ankle a month ago. With the shortest offseason in pro sports history and a compressed 72-game schedule, LeBron getting a month and a half off could be a blessing in disguise like the 4 month layoff he got during last year’s suspension.
The story is much the same for Anthony Davis, who was struggling with a nagging calf issue after the 2020 NBA Finals and throughout the first few months of the season before the Lakers finally shut him down in February. With the memory of Kevin Durant’s calf injury turning into a torn Achilles, the Lakers opted to take a very conservative approach and gave AD over two months to recover to make sure he was 100% healthy before playing again.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have surprisingly adjusted and persevered, winning 7 of the 15 games without James and Davis, carried by double digit scoring from Schroder, Kuzma, Harrell, Drummond, Morris, and Caldwell-Pope. During the 15-game stretch without LeBron and AD, the Lakers’ defense still ranked 4th in the league and their bottom five 3-point shooting jumped into the top half of the league with 12.2 makes on 33.7 takes for 33.7%.
A Lakers roster learning how to win without LeBron James and Anthony Davis should be scary for the rest of the NBA, especially if they remember how well LeBron and AD played at both ends in last season’s playoffs. LeBron averaged 28.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks shooting 55.4/34.5/71.0% while Davis averaged 27.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.3 blocks shooting 56.7/37.5/88.2%.
The Prospect of a fully rested and healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the Lakers head into the playoffs should strike fear in the hearts of the pretenders who’ve somehow forgotten how good their two superstars are. The silver lining to this injury plagued, Covid distorted, compressed season for the Lakers is LeBron and AD are going to be healthy and rested like they were last season after the league was suspended for four months.
Teams like the Clippers, Bucks, Jazz, and Nets who think they’ve got a good shot to win it all this season need to remember what LeBron said after the Lakers won the championship last season after being rudely disrespected. Pointing his finger, LeBron said: “We just want our respect. Rob wants his respect. Coach Vogel wants his respect. Organization want their respect. Lakers Nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect too.”
So buckle your seat belts, Lakers fans, because LeBron James and Anthony Davis are going to fully rested and healthy and looking to remind the rest of the NBA who are still the best two players and best team in the NBA.
Could a Lonzo Ball S&T This Summer Be the Lakers’ Answer at Point Guard?
There are good reasons why a Lakers and Lonzo Ball reunion are unlikely this summer, including Ball preferring not to return to the team that traded him and the Lakers not wanting to be hardcapped due to a sign-and-trade.
But there are also compelling reasons why Lonzo Ball today could be the perfect point guard to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis and a better option as a playmaker, shooter, and defender than Dennis Schroder. Lonzo is also a better complement for 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker, whom the Lakers project as part of their backcourt of the future who needs to be paired with a guard who can shoot the three and take care of the ball.
The 23-year old 6′ 6″ Ball shoots 38.4% on 8.1 threes and makes 5.7 assists to 2.0 turnovers per game whereas the 27-year old 6′ 3″ Schroder shoots 34.1% on just 3.3 threes and averages 5.4 assists to 2.8 turnovers per game. The younger and bigger Ball also has greater upside as a player and is more versatile as defender than the older and smaller Schroder. Ball averages 0.6 blocks and 1.4 steals per game vs. 0.2 blocks and 1.2 steals for Schroder.
Like Schroder, Ball is going to be looking for a big raise in free agency this summer. He knows his days in New Orleans are over and because he’ll be a restricted free agent, the Pelicans will be looking to sign-and-trade him. Spending more than $20 million for Lonzo Ball, even though it would hard cap them, would be a smarter move than spending that much for Dennis Schroder, who’s nowhere near as good a fit for what the Lakers need.
But there may be strong competition for Ball, who’s dramatically improved his shooting over the last two years. He’s not only become an elite high volume 3-point shooter but is now also shooting almost 80% from the line. With Zion dominating the ball for the Pelicans as a point forward, Lonzo has learned to thrive off the ball, becoming a true 3&D guard whom the Pelicans would like to keep but not at the cost of going into the luxury tax.
Should Lonzo be interested, the Lakers should jump at the opportunity. They could move some long term salary commitments to open up space under the hard cap to give Horton-Tucker and Caruso well deserved raises. The Pelicans might be receptive to receiving Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in return for Lonzo Ball. Kuzma and KCP are both young, proven, championship quality rotation players on team friendly contracts.
A sign-and-trade with the Pelicans for Lonzo Ball on a 4-year deal starting at $20 million for Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s combined $26 million per year would end up saving the Lakers $6 million salary per year. Lonzo Ball would become the starting point guard and Talen Horton-Tucker the starting shooting guard, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a dynamic young backcourt of the future to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
As for being hardcapped again, there’s a sense from writers following the Lakers like Eric Pincus the Lakers might welcome financial constraints to prevent them from overspending and incurring stratospheric luxury taxes. There was talk from Woj and other pundits that the Lakers were looking for ways to get out of some of their future commitments to create flexibility this summer to re-sign their own free agents Horton-Tucker and Caruso.
Another wrinkle of a Lonzo Ball and Lakers reunion is Ball’s agent is now Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. It’s no secret Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul have a history of making moves to mutually benefit the Lakers and Klutch clients. There’s something karmic about Lonzo signing with the player agent who engineered his trade to New Orleans. What better story than the prodigal son returning to lead the team that drafted him to more championships.
At 23, Lonzo has become his own man, no longer tethered to the whims and opinions of a dominant father. He’s put his career in the capable hands of Rich Paul and worked hard to become a better and more valuable player. While New York is tempting, Rich Paul surely knows the best landing spot for Lonzo Ball and his career would be back at Staples next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He’s the perfect point guard for the LA Lakers.
Temporarily overshadowed by his younger brother LaMelo’s sensational rookie season, Lonzo has an opportunity to return to Los Angeles, rejoin LeBron, and become the first Ball brother to win an NBA championship.