Lakerholics

Nothing would be sweeter than the NBA emerging from two Covid infected seasons to celebrate its 75th anniversary with an epic battle of Superstar Big Threes between the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.

The NBA has always been a superstars’ league and the Lakers’ bold trade for Westbrook was just another inevitable step in the steady evolution of player movement that now has superstars openly colluding to create superteams. Never hesitant to swing for the fences or shoot for the moon, the Lakers created a LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook Superstar Big Three to match the Nets’ Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.

By trading for Westbrook, the Lakers conceded they were unsure they could win running it back with the same roster and confirmed a Superstar Big Three was now the minimum price to compete for the NBA championship. With newly minted Superstar Big Threes, the Lakers and Nets enter the 2021–22 season heavily favored to win their conferences and locked and loaded on a collision course to meet next June in the NBA Finals.

Assuming both teams avoid the injuries that derailed their recent seasons, which superteam and which Superstar Big Three has the better chance of winning the 2022 NBA Finals: the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets?

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THE ‘ALPHAS’: LEBRON JAMES OR KEVIN DURANT?

Any analysis to determine who has the best Superstar Big Three has to begin with a comparison of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the alpha dog superstars who are the Lakers’ and Nets’ team leaders and best players.

The question is whether LeBron James at 36-years old can continue to defy Father Time and deliver yet another MVP level performance or whether the time has arrived for Kevin Durant to take over as best player on the planet. While many NBA pundits have already moved Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of LeBron James as the best player on the planet, it could be premature to take the best player throne away from the King.

Both LeBron and KD struggled last season with injuries with James playing just 45 of the Lakers’ 72 regular season games due to a high ankle sprain and Durant only 35 of the Nets’ 72 regular season games due to hamstring. James averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists in 33.4 minutes per game shooting 51.3/36.5/69.8% while Durant averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists in 33.1 minutes per game shooting 53.7/45.0/88.2%.

The 36-year old James won four NBA rings: two with the Heat in 2012 and 2013, one with the Cavs in 2016, and one with the Lakers in 2020. The 32-year old Durant won two NBA rings with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. LeBron and Kevin are both looking for breakout seasons returning from injuries. The big question is whether LeBron has another championship run left in the tank or whether Kevin Durant will take over as the best player.

Assuming both are healthy, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are clearly the league’s top two superstars right now. Chances are the team who has the best alpha superstar is likely to be the team that wins the 2022 NBA Finals.

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THE ‘ROBINS’: ANTHONY DAVIS OR KYRIE IRVING?

Heading into 2021–22, the next most important members of the Lakers’ and the Nets’ Superstar Big Threes are Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, the co-superstars or ‘Robins’ to LeBron James’ and Kevin Durant’s Batmen.

While Davis and Irving are their team’s second options, they are also both proven superstars who have championship resumes and rings to prove it. Both have the talent and mentality to be the best player in a playoff series. Both won championship rings as ‘Robins’ to LeBron James ‘Batman.’ Anthony won his championship ring playing with Lebron and the Lakers in 2020 while Kyrie won his playing with LeBron and the Cavaliers in 2016.

Davis and Irving, much like James and Durant, are looking to bounce back from injury riddled last seasons. Davis played in just 36 of the Lakers’ 72 regular season games while Irving played in only 54 of the Net’s 72 games. Davis averaged 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists in 32.3 minutes per game shooting 49.1/26.0/73.8% while Irving averaged 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists in 34.9 minutes per game shooting 50.6/40.2/92.2%.

Should alpha superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant battle to a draw, Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving could easily emerge as the superstar who wins Finals MVP for the championship Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets.

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THE ‘CATALYSTS’: RUSSELL WESTBROOK VS. JAMES HARDEN?

The key to whether the Lakers or Nets win the NBA championship could depend on the performance of Russell Westbrook or James Harden, two enigmatic superstar guards who are wild card catalysts for their teams.

The 32-year old Westbrook and 32-year old Harden have both been severely criticized and maligned for never having won an NBA championship and for playing a selfish style of basketball not conducive to winning in the playoffs. This despite Westbrook winning MVP in 2017 and being voted to 9 different All-NBA teams during his 13-year career and Harden winning MVP in 2018 and being voted to 7 different All-NBA teams during his 12-year career.

As third wheels, Westbrook and Harden are the members of the Lakers’ and Nets’ Superstar Big Threes who will be forced to make the biggest sacrifices to their games in terms of fewer touches, shots, and possibly playing time. Russ averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 11.7 assists in 36.4 minutes per game shooting 43.9/31.5/65.6% while James averaged 24.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 10.8 assists in 36.6 minutes per game shooting 47.1/36.6/85.6%.

There’s a possibility the 2021–22 NBA championship could come down to how well Russell Westbrook and James Harden filled their roles as catalysts and figured out exactly what they needed to do for their team to win.

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THE ‘CHAMPS’: LOS ANGELES LAKERS OR BROOKLYN NETS?

While basketball is a team game, the 2022 NBA Championship will likely be won by the team whose superstars play the best. That’s why pundits expect the Lakers and Nets with their Superstar Big Threes to be in the Finals.

The pundits believe the Nets’ Superstar Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden may be the best superstar trio in the history of the league with three elite scorers who can get buckets at all three levels. Meanwhile, those same pundits see the Los Angeles Lakers’ Superstar Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook as flawed, primarily because Davis and Westbrook are subpar 3-point shooters.

The Lakers’ and Nets’ Superstar Big Threes appear to be fairly matched when it comes to combined points, rebounds, and assists. The Nets are obviously better offensively while the Lakers probably better defensively. Right now, the Nets are favorites because of their elite 3-point shooting but the Lakers’ Superstar Big Three have the size, length, physicality, and athleticism to bully and dominate Brooklyn in the paint and on the boards.

We’ll get a better feel during the season whether the Lakers or Nets will finish as favorites. For certain, the arms race between these two teams is far from over and both will be looking to make moves at the deadline.

The BIG question I have been asking myself is what is the Lakers plan for the center position? Here are what appear to be the three possible options.

1. AD starts or plays half the time at the five like the title season?

2. Frank actually starts Dwight or DeAndre in a screwball version of JaVale McGee to start each half?

3. They keep three centers besides AD and Marc Gasol starts as this year’s JaVale McGee.

No way any option but #1 makes good sense with Russ at the point. This is the BIG cunnundrum facing the Lakers.

Every so often, a professional sports team will make a move that catches everybody by surprise and dramatically changes everything the team does on the court from whom they start, how they play, and what’s their ceiling.

That’s exactly what happened with the Los Angeles Lakers, who shocked everybody by making a move nobody thought they had the guts or trading chips to pull off: trading for Russell Westbrook to be their third superstar. Panned by the pundits, the Westbrook trade has been as polarizing and controversial as any trade by the Lakers in their storied history, leading the critics to declare LeBron James has won his last NBA championship.

But sometimes, trades have bigger consequences than swapping players. In Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles gets a superstar player who’s the catalyst for totally changing the Lakers’ overall roster construction and style of play.

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The Westbrook trade changes everything for the Los Angeles Lakers. Russ not only allows the Lakers to take the ball from LeBron James and move him to the four but also to move Anthony Davis from the four to the five.

Russell Westbrook’s arrival in Los Angeles cleared the way for the Lakers to finally double down on the small ball lineup with LeBron James at the four and Anthony Davis at the five they rode to last year’s bubble championship. After two years of pandering to Davis’ preference to play the four to avoid the physicality of the five, the Lakers finally seem to be embracing the idea that it’s time for Anthony Davis to play center and the Lakers to go small.

Heading into the offseason, early word came via New York Times reporter Marc Stein that the Lakers were looking for a ‘difference-making playmaker’ so they could move LeBron James to the four and Anthony Davis to the five. Then came news two weeks before free agency that Russ had met with LeBron and AD in Los Angeles to discuss the possibility of the Lakers trading for him to create a Superstar Big Three to match the Brooklyn Nets.

Once free agency started, Westbrook decided he did want to join the Lakers and asked Wizards’ GM Tommy Shepherd to trade him to Los Angeles. Tommy called Rob and the rest is history: Russell Westbrook is a Laker.

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Aside from being a huge upgrade over Dennis Schroder at point guard, the other benefit of the Westbrook trade is it enables the Lakers to change their style of play and embrace their version of small ball on steroids.

While critics are eager to point to Westbrook’s poor jump shooting from midrange or deep, they ignore the other major changes Russ will bring to the Lakers, including his relentless style of play and full throttle pace. Most importantly, Russ taking over as primary playmaker frees up LeBron to move to power forward, the logical position for him as he ages, and Davis to the five, which has always been his best position at both ends of the court.

Starting a front court with LeBron at the four and AD at the five gives the Lakers the most athletic and mobile front court in the league with two superstars who can score at all three levels and defend all five positions. The small ball lineup with AD at five also allows the Lakers to start two high percentage, high volume 3-point shooters like Kendrick Nunn and Wayne Ellington to give them the spacing they need with Russ playing the one.

The addition of Westbrook is the catalyst the Lakers needed to transform their new roster into the biggest, baddest, and most physical version of a small ball lineups the NBA has seen since the Warriors’ ‘Death Lineup.’

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The Los Angeles Lakers have never been afraid to swing for a home run or shoot for the moon. This is the franchise known for pulling off mega trades for superstars like Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Pau Gasol, and Anthony Davis.

That’s why nobody should be surprised by the Lakers’ blockbuster trade for Westbrook, the enigmatic superstar point guard who was unable to win a championship playing with Kevin Durant, James Harden, or Bradley Beal. Having been disappointed by Schroder, the Lakers knew they needed a superstar point guard if their plan to take the ball out of LeBron James hands was going to have a chance to succeed. Enter Russell Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook is not just an All-Star point guard. He’s a future HOFer, relentless rim attacker, virtual triple-double machine, one-man fast break, and transcendant playmaker who changes everything for the Lakers.

What the critics of the Westbrook trade miss when they focus on why Russ’ poor shooting isn’t a good fit for the Lakers is how his dominant presence at point guard has a domino effect that unleashes the team’s best lineup.

There’s never been any question the Lakers best lineup was with LeBron James at the four and Anthony Davis at the five but AD’s preference to play the four to avoid injuries and extend his career limited the lineup’s usage. During the championship season, Davis played center 40% in the regular season and 60% in the playoffs. This past season, the Lakers reduced his center minutes to 10% in the regular season and 20% in the playoffs.

It was like the Lakers forgot all about the lethal small ball lineup with LeBron at the four and AD at the five that destroyed playoff opponents last year in the bubble and allowed L.A. to take home their 17th NBA championship. But the sudden opportunity to trade for a future HOF point guard in Russell Westbrook may have finally forced the Lakers to do what fans have been calling for two years: play LeBron at the four and Anthony Davis at the five.

Ideally, the Lakers should start LeBron James at the four and Anthony Davis at the five. That’s the lineup Russ, LeBron, and Anthony discussed when they met two weeks before free agency to talk about possibly playing together. The early signs support Davis starting at the five or at least playing major minutes at the five since the Lakers only have two centers on the roster right now and there is no talk about them pursuing anybody as a third center.

There’s also the issue of the Lakers’ starting lineup needing volume 3-point shooters to prevent teams from clogging the paint to force LA to shoot from outside. Lack of 3-point shooting is a problem adding Russ has not helped. With three superstar starters who are not elite 3-point threats, the Lakers’ other two starters must be high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters and neither center — Marc Gasol or Dwight Howard — meet that criteria.

Being able to move LeBron James off the ball to the four, the logical position for him to play to as he finishes his career, and Anthony Davis to the five, his ideal position, was the biggest benefit of trading for Russell Westbrook. While AD has said he would play the five if needed and frankly proved it by playing center 60% of the time to win the bubble championship, he has obviously embraced Russ coming to the Lakers and him moving to the five.

What the Westbrook trade critics miss completely is that impact on the Lakers of Russ attacking the rim and throwing lobs to LeBron and AD or kickouts to the volume 3-point shooters Rob Pelinka added this offseason. The Lakers didn’t just add an elite point guard. They added a third superstar who allowed them to re-align their lineups and rotations, optimize their superstars, and prioritize playing their championship version of small ball.

The trade for Westbrook was made for a multitude of reasons, including being able to move LeBron and AD to the four and five. That’s why Anthony Davis at the five is the missing piece to the Lakers’ championship puzzle.

After flirting with the idea of ‘running it back’ with a healthier team, the Los Angeles Lakers changed course and opted instead to embark on an extreme makeover to change the role and reduce the workload for LeBron James.

In a bold shoot-for-the-moon move, the Lakers traded for enigmatic point guard Russell Westbrook to replace LeBron James as the team’s primary playmaker so James and Davis could move to power forward and center. The Lakers then proceeded to turnover their entire roster from last year, keeping only 21-year old Talen Horton-Tucker, whom they re-signed for 3-years and $32 million, and Marc Gasol, who still may be traded or waived.

So why such an extreme makeover for a team many thought would have repeated as champs had James and Davis not been injured? After all, Rob Pelinka had stated the Lakers hoped to keep the core of the team together. The answer it turns out is the core of the team consisted only of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker. Marc Gasol remained on the roster only because the Lakers’ efforts to trade him were unsuccessful.

The dramatic moves the Lakers have made so far confirm they’re committed to doing everything they can to reduce excessive wear-and-tear on LeBron James, extend his playing career, and optimize his championship window.

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LAKERS’ MOVES ARE ALL ABOUT LEBRON?

It’s ironic the early focus was more on the future health and prospects of Anthony Davis than LeBron James but the decision to trade for Westbrook instead of Hield quickly showed the Lakers’ concern was LeBron’s health.

Generational players like LeBron are so important to winning that nothing brings back greater returns than optimizing what they can do. That’s what this offseason was all about for Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers. Trading for an elite point guard like Russell Westbrook was not just an opportunity for the Lakers to add a third legitimate superstar but a chance to reduce LeBron’s workload to free him up to play off the ball in the post.

While it may seem crazy to think about taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands, that just might be the smartest thing for the Lakers to do, especially with an exceptional point guard like Russell Westbrook who excels at playmaking. Russ is what changes the dynamic and gives the Lakers the luxury of playing LeBron off the ball and closer to the rim. The move is part of a strategy to make life easier for LeBron and the Lakers’ offense more difficult to defend.

Moving James and Davis to the four and five allows the Lakers to play two elite 3-point shooters at the two and three to give Westbrook two of the best finishers in the league to pass to in LeBron and AD when he attacks the rim. Expect to see a steady diet of post ups going forward as that was one of the most potent parts of LeBron’s offensive arsenal. The goal this season is for LeBron and AD to score in the paint and let the shooters rain the threes.

After being injured in two of the last three seasons, it’s time to reduce the 36-year old James’ workload. Moving him to the four to unleash his ability to be more of a big time scorer rather than playmaker is a smart move.

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WHY TURNOVER THE ENTIRE ROSTER?

The biggest surprise was the Lakers’ decision to turnover the entire roster, trading or allowing to leave in free agency multiple rotation players who were major contributors to the team winning the bubble championship.

The Lakers traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, and their first round draft pick to the Wizards for Russell Westbrook and then allowed Alex Caruso and Dennis Scroder to leave in free agency. They also opted to not bring back Markieff Morris, Wesley Matthews, Andre Drummond, or Jared Dudley, although they still have three open roster spots so there’s still a chance one or more those slots could go to returnees.

While Russell Westbrook filled the Lakers’ need for an elite playmaker to free LeBron from being the facilitator, none of the players from last season’s roster took or made enough threes to solve the LA’s 3-point shooting woes. Fortunately, this free agency class was strong in high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters and the Lakers were able to add shooters like Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, and Carmelo Anthony.

In the end, the Lakers decided they needed more playmaking and shooting to compete with the Brooklyn Nets than the roster that had won the bubble championship could provide them so they opted for an extreme makeover.

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WHAT REMAINS FOR LAKERS TO DO?

The Lakers are essentially done building the roster they will roll out once the 2021–22 NBA season starts in October. All that remains is deciding whom to sign for the three remaining available minimum salary roster spots.

Major decisions remain as to who is going to start alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook and whether the Lakers are going to go small with AD at the five or more traditional with Gasol playing center. The hope is the Lakers have finally embraced the small ball lineup with LeBron at the four and AD at the five that carried them to the championship in the bubble. Russ’ shooting woes almost demand the Lakers go small.

Other decisions involve how to use the new Superstar Big Three of James, Davis, and Westbrook. Obviously, you want to start and close with all three but maybe you want to stagger them to have two on the floor ast all times. Unless the Lakers sign a ackup point guard, we might see Vogel stagger LeBron and Russ to have an elite playmaker on the floor at all times. Then there’s always the issue of how to make sure there are enough shooters.

Bottom line, the Lakers have undergone an extreme makeover by trading for Westbrook, signing a host of quality high volume 3-point shooters, and moving LeBron James to the four and Anthony Davis to the five.