Lakerholics

After a promising rookie season where he averaged 16.1 points per game, shot 36.6% from deep, and was declared a steal as 27th pick in the draft, Kyle Kuzma’s become the forgotten man on the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster.

While his three-point shooting declined to 30.3% playing alongside LeBron James his sophomore season, Kyle still started and played over 33 minutes per game, averaging a career best 18.8 points and 2.5 assists per game. Unfortunately, with the arrival of superstar power forward Anthony Davis, Kuz lost his starting position this season and saw his stats drop to just 12.5 points in 24.6 minutes per game, while shooting a poor 29.7% from deep.

Now, as the team prepares to take off for Orlando in a couple of days, Kyle has all but disappeared from discussions of which players have a chance to be wild cards and x-factors for the Lakers as the season/playoffs resume. Frankly, the only news we hear about him is social media buzz about dating Winnie Harlow or attending Teyana Taylor’s Album Release Party. Nobody’s talking about Kuz and whether he can help the Lakers win a championship.

Instead, the talk has been about Markieff Morris, Dion Waiters, and JR Smith, three new veteran players whose addition to the Lakers’ playoff roster could end up reducing Kuzma’s playing time and opportunities. Those moves, combined with James and Davis upping their regular season 34 minutes per game to a playoff 40 minutes per game, are going to create intense competition for playing time among Lakers’ bench players.

But it would be a mistake for the Lakers to write Kyle Kuzma off as a player who could be a difference maker in their championship run both because of his potential as a valuable rotation player or trading chip this offseason. Kuzma has too much talent to dismiss him as a bust and relegate him to the end of the bench. Instead, the Lakers need to give him a legitimate chance to shine in the upcoming scrimmages and regular season games.

There are good reasons why the Lakers need to save Kuzma from being the forgotten man. First, he’s finally 100% healthy after struggling all year with an unfortunate foot injury suffered trying out for Team USA this summer. Second, Kyle can return to playing his natural small forward position now that the Lakers have Markieff Morris to backup Anthony Davis at the four. Third, other than LeBron, Kuz is the only true wing on the Lakers’ roster.

Kuzma also showed signs of breaking through right before the season was suspended. In the Lakers’ weekend sweep of the rival Bucks and Clippers, he almost averaged a double-double with 9.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. While playoff minutes are going to be scarce, Kuzma could be the wild card on the roster if he could suddenly find his shot and confidence. Giving him an early shot in Orlando could entail minimal risks and major rewards.

Despite struggling with his three-point shot, Kuzma has remained engaged when on the floor and shown improved ability defending, rebounding, and playmaking. Kyle will also be looking for a new contract after next season. Like many Lakers players, the season restart represents a redemption opportunity to put a troubled year in the rear view mirror and show what kind of player he can be. This would be his first opportunity in the playoffs.

Kuzma knows this is could be his last chance to show the Lakers he can be part of their championship future. He’s surely been working hard on fixing his long range shooting and it’s in the Lakers’ interest to give him a last shot. The risks are minimal since they have already locked up the #1 seed in the Western Conference and the reward could be a talented young wing on a roster dominated by guards and bigs and an invaluable trading chip.

So, despite the talk about who’s going to replace Avery Bradley and how the three new players could be the wild cards, the Lakers would be smart to make sure they save Kyle Kuzma from becoming the forgotten man.

Through a savvy series of opportunistic late season moves, the Los Angeles Lakers have taken major steps to upgrade their roster, expand their depth, and improve their chances of winning their 17th NBA championship.

While the Lakers will miss Avery Bradley, a starter who opted to not join the team in Orlando for family reasons, replacing him with a championship caliber three-point shooter like JR Smith could end up being an upgrade. Similarly, exchanging DeMarcus Cousins, who never played, and Troy Daniels, who rarely played, for Markieff Morris and Dion Waiters could be smart moves that will make the Lakers a more dangerous playoff team.

Essentially, the Lakers pulled off what could be viewed as an opportunistic blockbuster straight three-player of DeMarcus Cousins, Troy Daniels, and Avery Bradley in return for Markieff Morris, Dion Waiters, and JR Smith. They traded two players who had not contributed to their success and one unavailable player for two proven veterans who filled critical roster needs and one veteran sharp shooter with playoff experience with LeBron James.

So let’s take a closer look at the roles and minutes these three veteran role players could play coming off the bench for the Lakers and the impact they could have on the team’s chances to win their 17th NBA championship:

1. Markieff Morris, 30-year old, 10-year veteran power forward/center.

Markieff Morris was signed as a free agent at the trade deadline when the Lakers waived DeMarcus Cousins. A career 34.4% three-point shooter, Morris was shooting a career best 39.7% for the Pistons before the trade. While he only shot 28.6% from deep on just 21 attempts in the 8 games he played as a Laker, Markieff filled a critical need for an aggressive big to back up Anthony Davis at the four and contribute spot minutes as a stretch five.

Looking ahead at the playoffs, expect Markieff to continue to backup Davis at the four and play with him at the five. He’s done a good job rebounding and fair job defending his position in 14.8 minutes per game he’s played. While Morris only shot 6 of 21 from three with the Lakers, he’s still shooting 38.6% from deep for the season, which is better than any player on the team with over 200 attempts other than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 39.4%.

If Markieff can shoot over 38% from three, he’ll not only fill a vital role for the Lakers in the playoffs creating spacing for LeBron James and Anthony Davis but also put himself in position for a key role on the team next season.

2. Dion Waiters, 28-year old, 8-year veteran shooting guard.

Dion Waiters offers the greatest upside and most risk of the Lakers’ three new players. A mercurial player who played just 14 minutes this season, he has the offensive chops to be the needed third scorer and second playmaker. In many ways, Dion’s the Lakers’ latest reiteration of Dwight Howard. Can he put his recent troubled past with the Miami Heat aside and seize a last chance to become a valuable cog in the Lakers championship roster?

In his last full season with the Heat, Waiters averaged 12.0 points, 2.6 boards, and 2.8 assists in 25.9 minutes shooting 37.7% from deep. He’ll need to be a total wild card surprise to earn those minutes in the playoffs. The Lakers must have seen something they liked to sign Dion over JR but he’ll have to show he’s matured and and can play at an elite level during the 8-game regular season to earn any consistent minutes in the playoffs.

If Waiters can get his mojo back and be the player the Lakers need to create shots for himself and teammates when LeBron is on the bench, he could be the difference maker in the Lakers’ quest for another championship.

3. JR Smith, 34-year old, 15-year veteran shooting guard.

Unlike Markieff Morris and Dion Waiters who replaced players who were not in the Lakers rotation, JR Smith was added to the roster to replace Avery Bradley, the starting point guard since opening day of the season. While the Lakers opted to add Waiters before Smith, JR probably has a better chance than Dion to become a regular part of the Lakers’ playoff rotation because of his fit and experience playing with LeBron James.

JR, like Dion, has not played for over a year but is a career 37.3% regular season three-point shooter and a career 37.0% playoff three-point shooter who ranks fourth among players for career made threes in the playoffs. While everybody remembers Smith’s gaffe in the playoffs two years ago, they also know he’s a proven clutch three-point shooter whom LeBron trusts to take and make big shots in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.

If his shot is falling, look for JR to be on the floor with LeBron at crunch time. He may not play big minutes but he’s a player LeBron likes so he’ll get his opportunities to be a key role player in the Lakers’ championship run.

While the Lakers need superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis to win the NBA championship, they also need talented complementary role players to create the teamwork and situations for the superstars to excel. The playoffs are more than just a second season. They’re a totally different level of competition where the pressure and quality of play ramps up and the focus switches from single games to gruelling multiple game series.

That challenge will be even more arduous this year with unprecedented conditions with every playoff game played without fans at a neutral site in a bubble in Orlando, Florida in the middle of a deadly ravaging pandemic. Those are conditions that heavily favor experienced veteran players who’ve been there before and understand how to prepare for and maintain the discipline and focus needed to survive the bright lights and high stress.

The Lakers have a veteran roster with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley, and Kyle Kuzma. Nevertheless, they still need a third scorer to create his own shot, a second playmaker to run the offense when LeBron is on the bench, and better three-point shooting. That’s where the three new veterans come in.

The addition of three talented veterans like Markieff Morris, Dion Waiters, and JR Smith have upgraded the Lakers’ roster, expanded their depth, and improved their chances of winning their 17th NBA championship.

What happens if life as we know it becomes a dystopian battle against a parade of ravaging pandemics? Could bubble communities like the NBA is trying to create to finish their suspended season become a way of life?

A future plagued by pandemics is not far fetched considering the damage coronavirus has caused worldwide. Now we hear coronavirus has begun mutating and a virulent form of swine flu could be the next pandemic. Europe has already shut its doors to visitors from the United States and states like New York are already effectively banning travelers from other states suffering rapid spread of Covid-19 by requiring quarantining.

My son’s father-in-law owns a large winery outside of Sacramento with the acreage and facilities to harbor dozens of extended families and friends in a safe and isolated residential bubble possibly for months or even years. While he’s not what would be considered to be a survivalist, he’s already started to enhance security systems, stockpile provisions, and prepare contingency plans for a move there should the current situation worsen.

What’s next? Could the gated communities of the future evolve into the bubble cities of the future? As crazy as it sounds, bubble communities as an idea could actually make sense in a dystopian future dominated by plague. Coronavirus may not be as lethal as originally thought but it’s given us more than we can handle and the next pathogen could be a more lethal and deadly threat than nuclear war, climate change, or overpopulation.

It’s a frightening thought to think life as we once enjoyed it could never come back but we’re all now in the process of creating our own personal bubbles to stay safe be it with family or friends or a combination of both. The programmer from India who is working with me to build the new Lakerholics website lives in a form of isolated bubble in Southern India that includes multiple extended families and close friends and associates.

Maybe the NBA’s Orlando bubble experiment will become a model not only for professional sports but also for groups of people who want to recreate the old normal in groups larger than just immediate family and friends.

There are many reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers are favored by the Las Vegas oddsmakers to win the 2019-20 NBA championship but they all start with superstar LeBron James, who’s still the greatest player on the planet.

LeBron may not be the greatest athlete in the game or able to leap over tall buildings like when he was young but his unrivaled physical conditioning, championship experience, and elite basketball smarts remain unmatched. Nobody playing today — not Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, or Steph Curry — has the winning gravity and unparalleled two-way ability to dominate playoff games and series like LeBron James.

Once the NBA resumes in a month, LeBron will remind the doubters and naysayers, who’ve conveniently forgotten who he is and what he’s done, that he’s still the King and the road to the championship goes through him. He gave Giannis and Kawhi a preview of what to expect in the playoffs as he dominated play at both ends in the Lakers’ weekend sweep of the Clippers and the Bucks before coronavirus forced the league down to shut down.

Consider the unprecedented challenge NBA teams and players are going to confront in these playoffs, with games played in a bubble in the middle of a pandemic with no fans or home court advantage after a three-month delay. These are conditions where championship confidence, experience, and savvy prevail, when those who’ve been there before, know how to focus on the moment, handle the pressure, and live up to to the expectations win.

Before play was suspended, LeBron and the Lakers were playing their best basketball of the season, had catapulted over the Bucks and Clippers to top the NBA power rankings, and had generated championship momentum. There’s reason to believe, given time to become fully rested and healthy plus a daunting set of draconian conditions they’re best suited to handle, LeBron and the Lakers should be even bigger favorites to win the title.

This year’s playoffs are not a crazy, anything-can-happen, March Madness tournament where wild card outcomes and surprise upsets are going to dominate the day and untested underdogs have unexpected advantages. These playoffs are going to be a gruelling, taxing second season played under extraordinary conditions that favor poised, focused, motivated, experienced veteran teams and players with the will and skill to prevail.

The road to the 2020 NBA Championship is going to be an arduous trek filled with obstacles and hurdles never before encountered, ending with the ultimate challenge of going through LeBron James and the Lakers.

With the coronavirus pandemic exploding and endangering the future of professional sports in America, the NBA has embarked on an ambitious experimental season restart that could transform the future of the league.

Hoping to salvage the 2019–20 season, the NBA league has finalized an innovative plan to resume the season with 22 of 30 teams playing 8 regular games followed by a play-in tournament for the final two playoff spots. Whether this plan can save the season will depend on how successful the league is at keeping their players, coaches, and team staffs safe by isolating them in a bubble at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

What’s certain is the league desperately needs this experiment to work as the revenue earned by finishing the season and playoffs could be critical with the prospects of fans attending live games next season now in doubt. Just as important, there are several components of the season restart plan that could portend solutions the league could deploy to salvage the next season and help it recover from the financial crisis caused by the pandemic.

Even before the coronavirus suspension, the NBA had been struggling with reduced ticket revenue and TV ratings because of a surplus of unattractive game matchups and Daryl Morey’s controversial comments about China. Commissioner Adam Silver had already been looking at novel ideas to boost league interest and revenue, including a midseason tournament, two more expansion teams, and play-in tournaments for the final playoff spots.

One of the most controversial decisions in the league’s plan to finish the regular season was limiting play to just the 22 teams with the best records, which has resulted in much improved matchups for the 8 game schedule. While criticized by the 8 teams who were left out, fan interest and TV ratings for these games could skyrocket due to the matchups, which is a result the league should work to replicate for future regular seasons.

If the enhanced regular season matchups and the play-in tournament are successful at creating more interest, the NBA should consider deploying a similar strategy for second half of next year’s regular season and playoffs. The league already wants to create some form of midseason tournament to divide the season into two halves and it makes sense use that tournament to create more attractive game matchups for the second half of the season.

For example, the NBA could divide the season in half with 30 teams playing each other in the first half and a midseason tournament determining 16 ‘A’ teams and 14 ‘B’ teams who would play against each other the second half. The top 5 teams in each conference would get byes as ‘A’ while the other 6 teams would be seeded and play a 7-game series to determine whether they would be ‘A’ or ‘B’ teams in their conferences for the season second half.

The 16 ‘A’ teams would only play against each other for the second half of the season, which would create more attractive and competitive games and increase live ticket sales and raise television ratings on the major networks. The 14 ‘B’ teams would also only play against each other the second half of the season but the top 2 ‘B’ teams and bottom 2 ‘A’ teams in each conference would compete in a play-in tournament for the final two playoff spots.

This is just one idea how the NBA could restructure future regular seasons and playoffs to improve competition, sell more tickets, and raise TV ratings by expanding playoff opportunities and creating more attractive matchups. If the league’s season restart plan is successful, it could be a blueprint how the NBA could improve its product and chart a course to regain momentum lost due the China crisis, coronavirus pandemic, and diluted matchups.

That’s why the season restart experiment planned for Orlando is so critical for the league. The NBA not only needs the revenue finishing the regular season and playoffs will generate but also the blueprint it could portend.