It really starts with Russ but isn't that simple. Russ was always a bad fit and cost a fortune to obtain. That left little to spend. All NBA owners need to be wary of super max players and contracts. Most super max deals come later in players careers so they will be wildly overpaid later in their career. If you want to go big 3 they better all be durable and fit perfectly because they will consume the cap. Lebron is old and more prone to injury but is relatively an iron man next to AD. Russ is the WORST possible star to pair with James. He cannot shoot and needs the ball to be effective, that is before you factor he is declining and has a game that will not age.
Everyone involved in bringing Russ in should be fired, traded, cut and generally humiliated. The team last year was actually pretty good. Lebron and AD both missed significant time, which is why they were towards the bottom of the playoff standings. They had depth and potential and before AD got hurt, had the Suns on the ropes. It wasn't perfect as 3pt shooting was an issue. They could have fixed that without completing gutting the team. If there was a path to add Hield and Derozan, that would have been much better as well.
This team has way too much in common with the 2012-13 Lakers. They traded for Dwight (not 100%) and then gave a way a fortune to bring in Nash. Nash was way late in his career so not exactly sure about what they gave up. I am not sure Pau & Dwight ever fit well either. But then to complicate things they brought in D'Antoni to coach, clearly infatuated with Steve Nash the superstar (who wasn't at that point). They had a big / older lineup so of course bring in the run and gun small ball guru. This years team they added Russ and tried to build a Russ type of lineup, which means a small ball lineup, with complete disregard to the coach and players they had.
Why is the Lakers FO so incredibly bad at this? Find/hire a superstar GM. I don't know if it is possible but I would throw a ton of money at Sam Presti. In the short term the only path out of this is being smart. In baseball Money Ball helped the A's overcome a lack of competitive income. It worked until the Red Sox, Yankees, etc caught up to the concept. Lakers need that mindset to overcome lack of assets in the short term. I think Presti is that guy. Jeannie's biggest fault is she only uses people close to her (Magic, Pelinka, Rambis, Phil) and none of them have proven to be good at it. Time to go outside the organization.
I love this post. Specially the part about publicly humiliating everyone involved in the Russ trade.
injuries mixed with Vogel's inability to assign any consistent roles.
Look at how Ty Lue was able to coach the Clippers through their injuries or even what Kerr does for Golden State.
They understand how to designate roles and consistency, at least that if the stars are out the role players know what to do and there's an offense to run.
Vogel does none of these things. And when he HAS something consistent, he will change the lineup for whatever reason (such as Monk starting, or moving Reaves back into the starting lineup for no reason).
Vogel sucks at figuring out roles, or lineup consistency OUTSIDE of injuries, which doesn't help us at all when we are a team dealing with injuries.
That is one of the reasons why the whole "Vogel isn't at fault" never flies. We've seen other coaches THIS YEAR and what they can do with their teams that deal with injuries till guys get back. Vogel just isn't that guy, never has been, never will be.
Injuries just removed the shield that had been making up for his own coaching inabilities and weaknesses. Allowing them to be on full display. _________________ How NBA 2K18 failed the All-Time Lakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxMBYm3wwxk
Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 21080 Location: In a white room, with black curtains near the station
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 10:12 pm Post subject:
cthroatgtr wrote:
It really starts with Russ but isn't that simple. Russ was always a bad fit and cost a fortune to obtain. That left little to spend. All NBA owners need to be wary of super max players and contracts. Most super max deals come later in players careers so they will be wildly overpaid later in their career. If you want to go big 3 they better all be durable and fit perfectly because they will consume the cap. Lebron is old and more prone to injury but is relatively an iron man next to AD. Russ is the WORST possible star to pair with James. He cannot shoot and needs the ball to be effective, that is before you factor he is declining and has a game that will not age.
Everyone involved in bringing Russ in should be fired, traded, cut and generally humiliated. The team last year was actually pretty good. Lebron and AD both missed significant time, which is why they were towards the bottom of the playoff standings. They had depth and potential and before AD got hurt, had the Suns on the ropes. It wasn't perfect as 3pt shooting was an issue. They could have fixed that without completing gutting the team. If there was a path to add Hield and Derozan, that would have been much better as well.
This team has way too much in common with the 2012-13 Lakers. They traded for Dwight (not 100%) and then gave a way a fortune to bring in Nash. Nash was way late in his career so not exactly sure about what they gave up. I am not sure Pau & Dwight ever fit well either. But then to complicate things they brought in D'Antoni to coach, clearly infatuated with Steve Nash the superstar (who wasn't at that point). They had a big / older lineup so of course bring in the run and gun small ball guru. This years team they added Russ and tried to build a Russ type of lineup, which means a small ball lineup, with complete disregard to the coach and players they had.
Why is the Lakers FO so incredibly bad at this? Find/hire a superstar GM. I don't know if it is possible but I would throw a ton of money at Sam Presti. In the short term the only path out of this is being smart. In baseball Money Ball helped the A's overcome a lack of competitive income. It worked until the Red Sox, Yankees, etc caught up to the concept. Lakers need that mindset to overcome lack of assets in the short term. I think Presti is that guy. Jeannie's biggest fault is she only uses people close to her (Magic, Pelinka, Rambis, Phil) and none of them have proven to be good at it. Time to go outside the organization.
This pretty much covers it.
And this squad is what we're left with as a result. Injuries didn't cause this squad to get lazy on defense and stupid on both sides of the court. Front office decision making created this mess, and the WB trade was the centerpiece of it.
It really starts with Russ but isn't that simple. Russ was always a bad fit and cost a fortune to obtain. That left little to spend. All NBA owners need to be wary of super max players and contracts. Most super max deals come later in players careers so they will be wildly overpaid later in their career. If you want to go big 3 they better all be durable and fit perfectly because they will consume the cap. Lebron is old and more prone to injury but is relatively an iron man next to AD. Russ is the WORST possible star to pair with James. He cannot shoot and needs the ball to be effective, that is before you factor he is declining and has a game that will not age.
Everyone involved in bringing Russ in should be fired, traded, cut and generally humiliated. The team last year was actually pretty good. Lebron and AD both missed significant time, which is why they were towards the bottom of the playoff standings. They had depth and potential and before AD got hurt, had the Suns on the ropes. It wasn't perfect as 3pt shooting was an issue. They could have fixed that without completing gutting the team. If there was a path to add Hield and Derozan, that would have been much better as well.
This team has way too much in common with the 2012-13 Lakers. They traded for Dwight (not 100%) and then gave a way a fortune to bring in Nash. Nash was way late in his career so not exactly sure about what they gave up. I am not sure Pau & Dwight ever fit well either. But then to complicate things they brought in D'Antoni to coach, clearly infatuated with Steve Nash the superstar (who wasn't at that point). They had a big / older lineup so of course bring in the run and gun small ball guru. This years team they added Russ and tried to build a Russ type of lineup, which means a small ball lineup, with complete disregard to the coach and players they had.
Why is the Lakers FO so incredibly bad at this? Find/hire a superstar GM. I don't know if it is possible but I would throw a ton of money at Sam Presti. In the short term the only path out of this is being smart. In baseball Money Ball helped the A's overcome a lack of competitive income. It worked until the Red Sox, Yankees, etc caught up to the concept. Lakers need that mindset to overcome lack of assets in the short term. I think Presti is that guy. Jeannie's biggest fault is she only uses people close to her (Magic, Pelinka, Rambis, Phil) and none of them have proven to be good at it. Time to go outside the organization.
I love this post. Specially the part about publicly humiliating everyone involved in the Russ trade.
What has Sam Presti done?
We need quality role players. The scouting department needs to get on their A game this offseason.
Joined: 15 Sep 2012 Posts: 29353 Location: La La Land
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:38 pm Post subject:
I'm more worried about our health. This is two straight years of injuries for both LBJ and AD. _________________ "Every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes you better”
I'm more worried about our health. This is two straight years of injuries for both LBJ and AD.
Yup, it's concerning.
But, remember LBJ/AD missed comparable time last year, and we won at a 58% rate. We traded our depth for Russ and now we are at 40% win rate. We just don't have the depth to withstand their injuries. Losing KCP/AC/Kuz, even Trezz/Dennis was a big blow to this team considering who we replaced them with.
I know this is not a popular sentiment, but we need to stop blaming Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie inherited the team. She's not a basketball mind. She didn't buy the team. She never studied the game and learned the nuances of a championship culture. She was simply the owner's daughter, and when the owner died, she was the one most reliable to take over management.
Jeanie hired people like Pelinka and Rambis to run the basketball side of things, and she mentioned that several times. Just because she has access to the purse strings doesn't mean she has a tactical NBA mind. Jeanie is NOT Jerry Buss, so we should stop vilifying her for that reality. Jeanie is Jeanie; she can do good stuff on the business end, which is where her strengths lie, but the X's and O's is not her thing.
That was supposed to be the domain of Pelinka and Rambis, and they failed her and Laker Nation miserably.
I know this is not a popular sentiment, but we need to stop blaming Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie inherited the team. She's not a basketball mind. She didn't buy the team. She never studied the game and learned the nuances of a championship culture. She was simply the owner's daughter, and when the owner died, she was the one most reliable to take over management.
Jeanie hired people like Pelinka and Rambis to run the basketball side of things, and she mentioned that several times. Just because she has access to the purse strings doesn't mean she has a tactical NBA mind. Jeanie is NOT Jerry Buss, so we should stop vilifying her for that reality. Jeanie is Jeanie; she can do good stuff on the business end, which is where her strengths lie, but the X's and O's is not her thing.
That was supposed to be the domain of Pelinka and Rambis, and they failed her and Laker Nation miserably.
But she does have control over who she hires and empowers to run the franchise. And Rob/Kurt still remain in power, so she can't hide behind that if they stay next year (and they will likely stay).
They failed because of that special kind of arrogance that makes this group of players feel entitled and relying on their collective resumes instead of playing with competitive intensity each and every game.
With little self awareness to their faults or accountability when they get blown off the court all too frequently.
We started asking the first 10 games “ are these players willing to compete nightly”? They gave us an answer all season long.
I know this is not a popular sentiment, but we need to stop blaming Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie inherited the team. She's not a basketball mind. She didn't buy the team. She never studied the game and learned the nuances of a championship culture. She was simply the owner's daughter, and when the owner died, she was the one most reliable to take over management.
Jeanie hired people like Pelinka and Rambis to run the basketball side of things, and she mentioned that several times. Just because she has access to the purse strings doesn't mean she has a tactical NBA mind. Jeanie is NOT Jerry Buss, so we should stop vilifying her for that reality. Jeanie is Jeanie; she can do good stuff on the business end, which is where her strengths lie, but the X's and O's is not her thing.
That was supposed to be the domain of Pelinka and Rambis, and they failed her and Laker Nation miserably.
If she's the owner she's the ultimate responsible for EVERYTHING that happens to this franchise
She's the one that hired Pelinka and Rambis, and she's the one that can fire them
Joined: 16 Apr 2001 Posts: 12194 Location: Pasadena, CA
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:04 am Post subject:
My take might be a little different but here it goes. This, is my opinion, having watched pretty much all Lakers games since 1980.
Here are my thoughts of how the season was a failure:
1) Injuries - We never got to see Nunn play, Davis missed over half the season (played 39 games) and Lebron has played 56 games.
2) Westbrook - Was not the right fit and we traded 3 active players and a pick for him. Dumb move. Although, I will say, he has been consistently healthy and brings energy every game. Just not worth $44 mill. If, for any reason, he has to stay, he has to work on his shooting woes.
3) Crappy roster - No other way to describe it. Most teams have a bunch of guys they can use game after game. We got rid of Rondo quickly, Jordan was terrible, Bazemore started the season and was awful, Ellington never saw playing time, Ariza is old and washed, Howard and Melo were good additions, as with Reaves, Johnson and Gabriel but Howard and Melo look very old out there at times and Melo is a defensive liability. I have liked Augustin though, he’s been a good pick up. Lastly, Monk has been great. Hope they can keep him.
4) Vogel - Where do I start? Yes, he won a title less than two years ago but he has been tinkering with lineups and rotations the whole season. I understand he has had a beat up roster all year but you have to have some consistency out there. He should not be experimenting with lineups 70 games in, right? Also, I think the Lakers need a new voice in the locker room, it’s not Vogel, Handy or Fizdale. How he never has this team prepared game after game and how he allows 3rd quarter and second half drop offs has been perplexing to me. Think all three of them are weak. Let’s hope the Lakers can get Quinn Snyder or someone better.
5) Lack of chemistry - This team never had it. Not saying the guys don’t like each other but they don’t play with one another. They don’t show that they have each other’s back. You can see that at the defensive end. In all the years I have been watching the Lakers, this is the worst and laziest defense team I have ever seen.
6) Pelinka, Jeanie, Kurt - Don’t understand the current game. The off season proved it. This roster was trash and a lot of people called it out before the season started. Though a lot of people were praising this “hall of fame” team, it was old, old, old. Then bringing in a bunch of washed former Lakers was not a good thing.
7) Lack of floor leadership - As much as Lebron has been great statistically this year, he hasn’t been a great leader. I never see him getting on guys when they screw up. This is where I miss Ronod and Dudley. Guys that held other guys accountable.
Joined: 14 Apr 2001 Posts: 144474 Location: The Gold Coast
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:26 am Post subject:
troy wrote:
I know this is not a popular sentiment, but we need to stop blaming Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie inherited the team. She's not a basketball mind. She didn't buy the team. She never studied the game and learned the nuances of a championship culture. She was simply the owner's daughter, and when the owner died, she was the one most reliable to take over management.
Jeanie hired people like Pelinka and Rambis to run the basketball side of things, and she mentioned that several times. Just because she has access to the purse strings doesn't mean she has a tactical NBA mind. Jeanie is NOT Jerry Buss, so we should stop vilifying her for that reality. Jeanie is Jeanie; she can do good stuff on the business end, which is where her strengths lie, but the X's and O's is not her thing.
That was supposed to be the domain of Pelinka and Rambis, and they failed her and Laker Nation miserably.
It was Jeanie’s (and her siblings) decision to inherit the team instead of selling it. So yes, she is to blame. She is the one who brought in Magic and Pelinka and fired a real basketball mind in Mitch. She was the one who turned down help from Jerry West. The team wasn’t thrust on her, it is what she wants and she enjoys the popularity of being a Laker owner. She could easily reach out to the league and get guidance on selecting a competent person to organize the FO but she hasn’t, instead relying on inexperienced friends. Jerry Buss didn’t have a basketball mind but he was a good businessman and brought in those who did. And who weren’t afraid to tell him when he was wrong. As long as she gets her mini series and future entertainment opportunities all is good. _________________ RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.
I know this is not a popular sentiment, but we need to stop blaming Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie inherited the team. She's not a basketball mind. She didn't buy the team. She never studied the game and learned the nuances of a championship culture. She was simply the owner's daughter, and when the owner died, she was the one most reliable to take over management.
Jeanie hired people like Pelinka and Rambis to run the basketball side of things, and she mentioned that several times. Just because she has access to the purse strings doesn't mean she has a tactical NBA mind. Jeanie is NOT Jerry Buss, so we should stop vilifying her for that reality. Jeanie is Jeanie; she can do good stuff on the business end, which is where her strengths lie, but the X's and O's is not her thing.
That was supposed to be the domain of Pelinka and Rambis, and they failed her and Laker Nation miserably.
It was Jeanie’s (and her siblings) decision to inherit the team instead of selling it. So yes, she is to blame. She is the one who brought in Magic and Pelinka and fired a real basketball mind in Mitch. She was the one who turned down help from Jerry West. The team wasn’t thrust on her, it is what she wants and she enjoys the popularity of being a Laker owner. She could easily reach out to the league and get guidance on selecting a competent person to organize the FO but she hasn’t, instead relying on inexperienced friends. Jerry Buss didn’t have a basketball mind but he was a good businessman and brought in those who did. And who weren’t afraid to tell him when he was wrong. As long as she gets her mini series and future entertainment opportunities all is good.
I don't think it was realistic to expect the Buss children to sell off what their father built. I think if Jeanie could, she'd probably sell the team. But, she'd likely be dealing with the guilt of throwing away what her father likely wanted to keep in the family.
We have to remember that this is the only season in the Rob/Vogel era that really turned out poorly. So, as frustrating as it may be to consider, we have to write this season off as a learning experience and hope that Rob learns from it and starts making better decisions. If not, then Jeanie should absolutely replace him.
It all boils down to the Westbrook signing, and not so much for RW as a player, but for what we gave up to get him. Regardless, I think Jeanie has moved the Lakers in the right direction since she booted out her brothers. Again, in the past 3 seasons, we won a Championship and we were poised for a 2nd round trip until AD got hurt. Arguably, Jeanie, Rob and Vogel were successful up until this particular season.
I know this is not a popular sentiment, but we need to stop blaming Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie inherited the team. She's not a basketball mind. She didn't buy the team. She never studied the game and learned the nuances of a championship culture. She was simply the owner's daughter, and when the owner died, she was the one most reliable to take over management.
Jeanie hired people like Pelinka and Rambis to run the basketball side of things, and she mentioned that several times. Just because she has access to the purse strings doesn't mean she has a tactical NBA mind. Jeanie is NOT Jerry Buss, so we should stop vilifying her for that reality. Jeanie is Jeanie; she can do good stuff on the business end, which is where her strengths lie, but the X's and O's is not her thing.
That was supposed to be the domain of Pelinka and Rambis, and they failed her and Laker Nation miserably.
But she does have control over who she hires and empowers to run the franchise. And Rob/Kurt still remain in power, so she can't hide behind that if they stay next year (and they will likely stay).
It's kinda what I mentioned before. In the Rob/Vogel era, we've only had one bad season out of three. In those three seasons, we won an NBA championship season 1, we were possibly in place to make it to the 2nd round until the AD injury derailed us season 2, and season 3 all hell broke loose. So, technically, it's only been 1 season (this one) that everybody (Jeanie, Rob, Vogel) has looked like absolute idiots out there, and who knows, if Nunn and Davis had been healthy, this whole season could have turned out differently.
Now, if we don't correct the mistakes next season that were committed this season, then Jeanie should definitely be held more accountable. But, I'm willing to write off this season as one hell of a learning experience before I start calling for everyone to be fired.
Joined: 14 Apr 2001 Posts: 144474 Location: The Gold Coast
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 8:25 am Post subject:
The Lakers under Jeanie and Pelinka has two lottery seasons, one title and a first round exit. The title was two seasons ago, followed by a first round exit and now a lottery season. The trend isn’t promising. Dr. Buss gave Jeanie and Jim the chance to sell the franchise but they thought that they could run it. They have had mixed results but mostly the seasons have ended without the playoffs. We live with it or we start watching other teams, the leopard’s spots aren’t going to change. We hope that they can strip the cap down to nothing and attract the next FA. _________________ RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.
The knee-jerk “blame the injuries” analysis glosses over how fraudulent the Lakers’ full-strength roster was as any kind of contender to do anything of consequence. Yes, James and Davis only played 22 games together … but the Lakers went 11-11 in those games and were outscored this year with the two on the court together. In their biggest game of the season, with everyone playing, they lost at home to the 34-43 New Orleans Pelicans.
Wait, it gets better. The Lakers have been outscored this year with James on the court … and with Davis on the court … and with Russell Westbrook on the court. They have been outscored with James and Davis playing together, and when James plays without Davis, and when Davis plays without James. They’ve been outscored with James and Davis playing with Westbrook, and with James and Davis playing without Westbrook. Tell me the scenario, and the Lakers were beaten in it.
I bring all this up because the solutions are not simple for the Lakers’ current malaise, and it’s not nearly as easy as “run it back and hope LeBron and Davis are healthy.” James showed once again that he is a superhuman freak, putting together an All-NBA caliber season at the age of 37, but even he has his limits; he’s played 45 and 56 games the past two seasons. Given the mounting toll of over 63,000 NBA minutes (including playoffs) on his lower extremities, it doesn’t seem realistic in any season going forward to expect more than 65 games from him, especially if said season includes any kind of aspirations of postseason success.
Davis, meanwhile, is a more vexing case. At 29 he should theoretically be in his prime, but he’s played only 73 games over the past two seasons. OK, that’s bad enough, but the side issue that doesn’t get enough conversation is that his level of play has also dropped. Davis posted a PER of 27.4 in 2019-20, one that shot to 29.6 in his dominant playoff run. The past two seasons he’s been at 22.1 and 24.1, respectively – still really good, but not the MVP-candidate level of that season or his final one in New Orleans (30.3).
Quote:
Of course, we haven’t even discussed the elephant in the room. Even if James and Davis magically revert to their 2019-20 selves, the Lakers are facing a pretty daunting 1-2 dilemma heading into next season:
1. The roster at spots 3 through 15 is the worst in the league
2. They have few mechanisms available to improve it
Quote:
Amazingly, every single Laker not named James or Davis had a negative BPM this past season. The Lakers gave over 3,500 minutes to players with single-digit PERs, including 1,388 to Avery Bradley (7.9); throughout the second half of the season leaned heavily on other teams’ discards (Stanley Johnson, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Bradley) because their own offseason went so badly. Undrafted Austin Reaves felt like a revelation by comparison, but he finished with a 10.4 PER, -2.6 BPM and a 30.7 percent mark from 3.
As a result, the Lakers enter the offseason with two All-Stars … and no other starting-caliber players. Westbrook is the only other player who would crack the top eight on a good team.
Quote:
All of which takes us back to perhaps the best alternative of all, even if it’s the least palatable in the short term: Do they need to take their medicine? Try to do better on minimum contracts and cap exceptions, run it back next year, and position themselves for the 2023 free-agent market? It’s depressing to think a team with James and Davis has to go into “keep our powder dry” mode and punt on high aspirations for next season, but that’s the corner into which the Lakers have painted themselves.
There’s also the idea that something better may lie around the corner if the Lakers can exhibit some patience. Westbrook’s expiring deal, for instance, could pair with those two future firsts to bring in the next disgruntled superstar (coughLillardcough) at the 2023 trade deadline; that’s one of the few imaginable scenarios where next season’s team ends up legitimately threatening.
Regardless of which option the Lakers choose, it’s going to be a massive challenge for their beleaguered front office to cobble together even a halfway decent supporting cast around their two tentpole stars. They failed miserably in that challenge in the summer of 2021, and don’t appear positioned to fare much better this time around. Thus, the worst part of the Lakers’ 2021-22 season is not the current misery, it’s the lack of any reason for optimism that 2022-23 will be much different.
Hate on Hollinger all you want, but I can’t disagree with anything he says. It does amuse me that he can’t resist using PER. Really, dude? PER is the Blackberry of basketball metrics. _________________ Internet Argument Resolved
The knee-jerk “blame the injuries” analysis glosses over how fraudulent the Lakers’ full-strength roster was as any kind of contender to do anything of consequence. Yes, James and Davis only played 22 games together … but the Lakers went 11-11 in those games and were outscored this year with the two on the court together. In their biggest game of the season, with everyone playing, they lost at home to the 34-43 New Orleans Pelicans.
Wait, it gets better. The Lakers have been outscored this year with James on the court … and with Davis on the court … and with Russell Westbrook on the court. They have been outscored with James and Davis playing together, and when James plays without Davis, and when Davis plays without James. They’ve been outscored with James and Davis playing with Westbrook, and with James and Davis playing without Westbrook. Tell me the scenario, and the Lakers were beaten in it.
I bring all this up because the solutions are not simple for the Lakers’ current malaise, and it’s not nearly as easy as “run it back and hope LeBron and Davis are healthy.” James showed once again that he is a superhuman freak, putting together an All-NBA caliber season at the age of 37, but even he has his limits; he’s played 45 and 56 games the past two seasons. Given the mounting toll of over 63,000 NBA minutes (including playoffs) on his lower extremities, it doesn’t seem realistic in any season going forward to expect more than 65 games from him, especially if said season includes any kind of aspirations of postseason success.
Davis, meanwhile, is a more vexing case. At 29 he should theoretically be in his prime, but he’s played only 73 games over the past two seasons. OK, that’s bad enough, but the side issue that doesn’t get enough conversation is that his level of play has also dropped. Davis posted a PER of 27.4 in 2019-20, one that shot to 29.6 in his dominant playoff run. The past two seasons he’s been at 22.1 and 24.1, respectively – still really good, but not the MVP-candidate level of that season or his final one in New Orleans (30.3).
Quote:
Of course, we haven’t even discussed the elephant in the room. Even if James and Davis magically revert to their 2019-20 selves, the Lakers are facing a pretty daunting 1-2 dilemma heading into next season:
1. The roster at spots 3 through 15 is the worst in the league
2. They have few mechanisms available to improve it
Quote:
Amazingly, every single Laker not named James or Davis had a negative BPM this past season. The Lakers gave over 3,500 minutes to players with single-digit PERs, including 1,388 to Avery Bradley (7.9); throughout the second half of the season leaned heavily on other teams’ discards (Stanley Johnson, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Bradley) because their own offseason went so badly. Undrafted Austin Reaves felt like a revelation by comparison, but he finished with a 10.4 PER, -2.6 BPM and a 30.7 percent mark from 3.
As a result, the Lakers enter the offseason with two All-Stars … and no other starting-caliber players. Westbrook is the only other player who would crack the top eight on a good team.
Quote:
All of which takes us back to perhaps the best alternative of all, even if it’s the least palatable in the short term: Do they need to take their medicine? Try to do better on minimum contracts and cap exceptions, run it back next year, and position themselves for the 2023 free-agent market? It’s depressing to think a team with James and Davis has to go into “keep our powder dry” mode and punt on high aspirations for next season, but that’s the corner into which the Lakers have painted themselves.
There’s also the idea that something better may lie around the corner if the Lakers can exhibit some patience. Westbrook’s expiring deal, for instance, could pair with those two future firsts to bring in the next disgruntled superstar (coughLillardcough) at the 2023 trade deadline; that’s one of the few imaginable scenarios where next season’s team ends up legitimately threatening.
Regardless of which option the Lakers choose, it’s going to be a massive challenge for their beleaguered front office to cobble together even a halfway decent supporting cast around their two tentpole stars. They failed miserably in that challenge in the summer of 2021, and don’t appear positioned to fare much better this time around. Thus, the worst part of the Lakers’ 2021-22 season is not the current misery, it’s the lack of any reason for optimism that 2022-23 will be much different.
Hate on Hollinger all you want, but I can’t disagree with anything he says. It does amuse me that he can’t resist using PER. Really, dude? PER is the Blackberry of basketball metrics.
thanks for posting. Yeah, he's pretty spot on. the liliard thing scares me. Not saying it wouldn't be better than russ but with his take on brons health and Ads decline we just become marginally better IMHO
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