Aloha,
What is the most important thing for Laker fans? Being a little better then last year, or building a team with a chance to contend. I think the Lakers have chosen the build option. When you look at the available trades, they make us a little better. But we also would have to take back salary, that would make it difficult to add the pieces we need to compete. When LeBron signed it was said that he understood that it will take time. And it will.
I believe going into the season with this roster isn’t a terrible thing. It’s not going to win any rings but we will be able to see what we have in these kids. One thing that is for sure is we will be a much better defensive team. If you have a solid defense built around two scores like LeBron and AD, you will win some games.
There have been some upgrades. Last year we really only had Russ at the point. We signed DJ at the deadline but we pretty much was stuck with Russ. Now we have Beverly and Nunn. Both guys are better equipped to play with LeBron. Both defend, play off the ball and shoot. I’m happy to hear the praise Coach Ham has been giving Nunn. It appears he’s fine and the team is just being cautious. There is no reason for 5 on 5’s until camp. I think Russ will be better then last year if LeBron and AD stay on the court. But if he’s not we have options this year.
We have also upgraded the 5. The plan last year was to play AD there and why not? He’s a top 3 center in the league. but unfortunately he was hurt. If they want AD back at the 4, we have a guy in Thomas Bryant that could step in and give us quality minutes. Before the injury he was a rising star. He rebounds 5.7 in 20 minutes a game, blocks shots, 1.1 in 24 minutes his last healthy year, can shoot the 3, .350 for his career, but most importantly he has a motor that doesn’t quit and he is one of the best bigs at running the floor in the league. Perfect for The way coach Ham wants to play. The good news is he has also been getting rave reviews from the coach. You also have Damien Jones back. A guy every one wanted to keep last time.
We will need some of these young guys we signed to step up there shooting. I think Austin can be one. He’s another player that has been singled out for looking great in practice. His 3 point stroke, didn’t look broken last year so I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought his percentage up.
While we won’t win a ring with this group, we won’t win one with the available trades either. We can tread water with this team. See who steps up and see what trade become available as the season progresses. We do do a wing with size for sure. The longer we go into the season, the less we will have to give up in a Russ trade. And if we end up not making a trade we could have 35 mil in cap space, not to mention the full MLE and the bi annual exception. We could fill out a pretty competitive team with those tool. So let’s wait and see what this group looks like. With health they wii be a fun group to watch.
Spot on Michael, while I’m honestly not too high on LW4, Pat or really even Nunn at this point the focus truly does need to be on next summer. Not one of the trades makes us a contender. Turner isn’t coming without Heild who will be played off the floor. Hell, Turner might be played off the floor if he can’t hit threes at a higher than 34% clip. The other part of the quandary for is, if they are eyeing next summer as the one for a complete makeover, then we’re trading picks to let guys we don’t necessarily want to keep walk. Where is the wisdom or logic in that? Nowhere. It’s absurd to g to throw away the future or flexibility the picks afford for guys you’re not sure, or even already know, you don’t want. That’s why I’ve long been advocating for us to ride Russ out if we can’t find an equitable deal. The Lakers are a destination franchise we will find solid free agents. The LeBron question has been answered, he’s here now for the same reason he came here a few years ago: he wants to be here. It’s not for a coach or the roster it’s for LA. It’s for the history. It’s for the legacy. That’s it. Yes, with good health we will be competitive. Without it the fringes of the roster don’t matter. Honestly, if LeBron goes down I’d rather ride with Russ than Turner and Heild. At least Russ has taken teams to the playoffs. I’m not saying that could happen just that there’s no way Turner or Heild could w/o LeBron. In the end, until we move on from the James era, we need to focus on free agency and our ability to try a convince top talent to come here. The picks and Russ aren’t enough in the current climate where its a first round draft pick/player. We cant play at the draft pick high stakes table with our resources, we have to wait for free agency or settle and lose tools to
improve is on down the line.
Jamie, you and I have been on the same page on this all along. Thanks for saving me time to dwell on it. Those are valid points and make a ton of sense considering where the Lakers are right now.
Bingo, Michael!