Aloha,

It was good to get a win last night. It is always tough getting that last win on a long road trips. And even though they have a bad record the Pistons play people tough. 5 of their wins have come against playoff teams. So a win is a win. I was hoping for a 3-3 road trip but I was disappointed that the combination of the flu, an ankle injury and Refs cost us at least one more win. Maybe two.

Bogdanovic went insane in the 3rd quarter. Part of it was some amazing shots but part of it was that he was defended by tiny guys that he took to the rim or just shot over. Now after that performance it’s all about trading for him.

But how would he look on the Lakers? He gets up around 6 threes a game with the Pistons. Would he even get that with the Lakers? This offense is built to get the best open shot. It isn’t designed for a sniper. After a slow start Lonnie is shooting 39% from 3. He has actually shot better around 45% then Bogdanovic over the last month on 5.3 threes a game. Austin had a slow start as well but he is close to Lonnie and he gets 3 threes a game. How many would Bogdanovic get? How much better would we be?

If we are going to spend a unprotected 1st I would rather we spend it on a big wing that can hit a few 3’s. A wing that can defend the big wings in the league instead of PatBev. I love PatBev’s tenacity but he is just too small.

While Bogdanovic can shoot, he isn’t much of a defender, although he might be a bit better with the Lakers because Like Gorbet in Utah, AD would have his back.

Coach Ham’s offense with the Bucks relied on multiple guys capable of knocking down a 3. They didn’t feature a sniper and the Lakers are similar. For my money if we are willing to give up an unprotected 1st it would be better spent on a big younger wing that can hit a 3 like Kuz or OG Anunoby. Or perhaps even a lesser trade for Reddish or Obre, then use the first for someone else.

One of the main reasons I was apposed to trading for Buddy was because I questioned how many looks he would actually get with the Lakers. And his defense wasn’t good enough if he wasn’t going to get a lot of them. I kind of feel the same about Bogdanovic. In Lonnie and Austin we have 2 really good 3 point shooters that are only getting 8 looks combined. Unless the Lakers change things up to feature a gunner, the better move is bringing in a better defensive wing even if he is only an mediocre 3 point shooter.

Aloha,

I was going to say the Lakers should have won. But the better description is the 76ers should have lost. Their melt down was even worse then our Pacer melt down. Just a few random thoughts.

The fix was on. This was one of the most lopsided refereeing jobs I have seen for awhile. A few of those calls on AD were beyond ticky tack. I thought Darvin should have challenged that 3rd one for sure. No foul. Now Embid was allowed to shove AD to the ground on his shot. Crickets.

AD was amazing again. He had 31 points in 31 minutes in regulation. He was a plus 26 at the end of regulation. Once he able to play free in the 4th, he just took over. A lot of Embid damage was with AD off the floor. A lot of AD’s damage was with Embid on the floor. I don’t blame that one missed free throw on the loss. He was the reason we were in that position.

Unfortunately, we have seen many more games like yesterdays from LeBron then good ones. 23 points on 22 shots. 1-8 from 3 4-8 from the line. And again lazy perimeter defense. LeBron has to be better then this to give us a chance.

Austin and Lonnie went a combined 7 for 11 from 3. LeBron and Russ went 2 for 13. What’s wrong this this picture?

Austin was amazing. He is really playing like an experienced vet. While he deserves to start, I have struggled with the idea. We need something for our 2nd unit. As long as he is getting minutes and closing I’m okay with him coming off the bench. It’s kind of the same situation as Lamar. Definitely a starter but he was important for the bench unit.

I hate starting both starting both Dennis and Pat. We are undersized already, that puts 6’ 4” Lonnie as our SF. I really don’t understand why Troy isn’t starting.

Nobody has been talking about it but I think we really miss Gabriel. A good switchable big comes in handy. LeBron played way to many minutes.

Sometimes I don’t understand coach Ham. At the end of the game when we needed a 3, he didn’t bring Lonnie in. We had LeBron, Russ and Dennis out there. WTF?
And in the OT and couldn’t score, Lonnie is sitting on the bench. A double WTF.

So if we beat the Pistons we go 3-3 on the road trip, which is what I was hoping for. It’s a shame AD got sick and LeBron had to miss that game. We should have let the sizers lose. It could have been a different trip.

Aloha,

Anyone who watched yesterdays game knows we are in desperate need for size on the wing. These taller long wings are working into the paint and shooting over our guards, pretending to be be small Forwards. But how can we find the size we need?

The Knicks and Lakers have something in common. We both have an abundance of small guards but need forward help. It appears that the Knicks are trying to accommodate a very unhappy Cam Reddish with a trade. But the Knicks will not be interested in adding our small guards.

So what team in the NBA needs guard help more then any other team? We just played them. The Raptors. It has gotten so bad that they moved Trent Jr, a shooting guard to the 2nd unit as the PG. They didn’t play another PG until the last 2 minutes. They are literally running Van fleet into the ground.

The Raptors have an abundance of long wings. Including OG Anunoby who has been unhappy for awhile. Now normally I would say go after OG. I would even give up a 1st for him. But I don’t think our guards solve their problem. But Derek Rose might.

The Knicks send Derek to the Raptors. They send Reddish to the Lakers.

The Raptors send OG to the Knicks.

The Lakers send Nunn and perhaps a 2nd to the Raptors.

While Nunn hasn’t been great, he is better then any of their other guards with a better then average chance of improving once he gets his confidence back after missing an entire season.
Everyone’s happy.

Next step is dealing with the Hornets. They should be looking to add assets and completely tank. Lakers send PatBev and Max Christie who at 19 has showed real potential on the defensive side of the ball and a 2nd. The Hornets send us Kelly Obre.

We keep Russ and our 2 first round picks to keep the front offices fever dream of landing a star alive.
Cam has a 8 mil qualifying offer for next season. If he does well they can negotiate a new deal. If he doesn’t, they can cut him loose. But that cap hold isn’t high so we can still negotiate a new deal with Lonnie.Kelly has a team option of 15 mil. Again it gives us cap flexibility.

These are not earth shattering moves but it would help our size issue. We could even use Troy at the 2 at times if needed.

While I am still convinced that we probably can’t trade our way into contention, a trade like this is wouldn’t cost a lot and would definitely improve our chances. Could that happen? Odds are not great but better then most of the proposals out there.

Aloha,

Jamie did an excellent job as usual, breaking down the game, so I’m going to go in another direction. AD has finally bought into playing his best position. Center. After playing through some nagging injuries earlier, he seems to be fairly healthy. If he can stay healthy, big if, I believe AD the monster will be with us most of the season.

That said there is reason to believe with the development of some of the kids, especially Lonnie turning into a legit 3rd scorer, that this team could make the playoffs. Considering we have only lost one more game then the 6th seed Warriors, we might even avoid the play in game.

We are finally in a place where a trade might make sense. And as I have posted many times, that trade should be for a forward with size that can shoot. While I admire Patabevs tenacity, having him guard 6’ 9” guys is not sustainable. He has guarded, KD, PG, Middleton and Kuz among others and they have exploited his size.

Two things I have been apposed too are trading those first round picks, without protections and a trade that leaves to much salary on the books and we can’t retain Lonnie.

Now most of the Westbrook trades out there does not address the Forward position, and takes in salary that will be there next year. So we may have to go with a smaller trade.

With Russ the leading 6th man candidate I’m not even sure I want to trade him. A lot of what AD is doing is because of Russ finding him in his spots. So who could we find to help? Pat Bev, Nunn and a protected pick is our best hope. Some of the guys rumored to becoming available later in the year are:
Bogdanovic
Obure
OG Anunoby
Kuz
Are the most prominent names floating around. OG Anunoby is my personal favorite. Although he might cost a unprotected first. But a 24 year old 3 and D forward on a reasonable 17 mil contract would be worth it. And it would leave us with enough money for Lonnie.

As our young guys continue to grow any one of the players could really make this a strong squad. I’m sure we won’t do anything until the 15th which make sense.

When we left for this road trip I was hoping for 3 and 3. But we upset the Bucks and avoided an emotional let down loss against the Wizards. Now I’m hoping for 4-2. Although you know AD will be up for his match up with Embid. Last year in their match up AD out played him. If he does that again 5-1? I can dream.

It will be interesting to see what Robb does if we have a successful road trip.

Aloha,

This year the Lakers have lost a few games I thought they would win. This is the first game they won that I thought they would lose. This was our best game we have played in a couple of years. And it is the best game that’s been played in the NBA all year.

AD had everything going last night including his jump shot and 3 ball. I think his shooting is all about confidence and he had it last night. If this continues he will be unstoppable and the MVP. Like Kobe he may not win it because of the standings but because of his play on both sides of the ball he will be the best. Early on he was guarding Giannis and doing a good job. Perhaps Coach Ham switch off of that to keep him out of foul trouble. But his over all game was amazing. This was better then bubble AD!

LeBron score 28 but on 27 shots so that wasn’t that impressive, although they began to fall later in the game when it counted most. Two things did impress me. His 11 assists, playing his devastating two man game with AD. The other was his defense. Sure it was mediocre but it’s been plain bad most of the year. With what he brings in other areas, if he can stay mediocre on D it will be a huge deal.

Lonnie was 0 for 4 in 3 quarters of basketball. So how could he have a huge impact? His 4 for 6 and 14 points in the 3rd is how. Lonnie is the reason we didn’t lose our lead in the 3rd. And he continues to play solid defense. It’s hard to get a lot of shots when AD and LeBron get 52 shots combined but it would be a good strategy to try and get Lonnie a few more then 10.

Austin failed to get get double figures in this one. Still he continues to do do everything right on both sides of the ball. His game high plus 17 shows us that. Going into the game he was 3rd in the league charges taken. He got two more last night. If we do a trade we should make sure we can retain him and Lonnie as well.

Let’s not sleep on Gabriel either. The guy is pure energy. Plus 14 in 14 minutes. If he could just do a little better job of holding onto the ball in traffic he is keeper as well.

Then there is Russ. His dive for the ball may have been a turning point in the game. 11 assists and no turnovers were huge. Vegas has him as the leading candidate for 6th man of the year and he’s been playing like it. He was so well that he closed the game.

I never thought the Lakers were as bad as their record. I knew it would take some time with a new team. If it wasn’t for some unusually bad shooting at the start of the season we actually might have had a winning record. It’s no surprise that now that guys are shooting closer to their capabilities that we are winning a few.

We have the makings of a playoff team. Not saying a contender but with the right trade, our stars staying healthy and productive and continued growth from the young guys we could have a decent rotation. For me the missing piece is a wing with some size that can shoot. I like what Troy has been doing but for a playoff team, he’s best suited for a bench role. Perhaps Nunn, PatBev and a protected pick could land that guy. I’m truly happy that Robb didn’t panic, which is totally out of character for him. He hasn’t made a panic trade. After the 15th more guys will be available. Also teams that begin to fade may want to dump contracts. Hopefully we can land that wing then.

I was hoping for a 3 and 3 road trip which would require an upset. Now that have that upset, I’m hoping for more. I had looked at the 76ers as my upset target. It’s important not to have an emotional letdown against the Wizards. If we can get by them we could go 4-2 maybe 5-1. But we really need to lock into everyone, even the Pistons. This could be the turning point of the season if we do that.

Aloha,

Now the Lakers seem to pushing their trade window back to mid January. Unless someone approaches them with a deal too good to be true, that’s this is the smart play. First, with the standing bunch together almost everyone is in the playoff hunt, so there may not even be a trade out there for awhile. But there are other important reasons to hold off.

First there hasn’t been any trades that has been actually discussed that would make the Lakers championship contenders. That is not just the Laker F.O’s opinion but pretty universal across the league. There have been wild proposals from writers and bloggers but I’m talking about verified discussions.

The additional time will also give the team the opportunity to see what they actually need to do. We have a few very promising young players and it’s worth it to wait and see how they develop. Lonnie has looked like a legitimate 3rd scorer on a contender. It’s a small sample size but so far he is checking a lot of boxes. He has even shot over 45% from 3 this months, that has helped with one of our most glaring weaknesses. It is worth it to wait and see if this continues. It would be a huge mistake to make a trade that eats up so much cap space that we lose him next summer.

We also see Austin growing up before our eyes. The only thing I would like to see Austin do more is shoot more 3’s. He has a nice stroke and is shooting over 40% from 3.

It is encouraging that coach Ham has unleashed AD and he has been playing at a MVP level. And it was nice to see LeBron have a great game after a slow start. Still looking at the competition we still have a long way to go.

Our biggest need is a forward with size that can shoot. I think that should be the number one priority. While the focus has been on Russ, his salary makes it really hard to find trade partners that doesn’t want to dump more salary on us. I think PaTBev and Nunn along with a protected first could possibly land the kind of forward we need later in the season.

I really do not have a lot of confidence that a trade could give us a shot. However if we develop this young guys and make a smart trade, we could be in a stronger position next year.

Aloha,

Lonnie is looking pretty good this month.

18.9 pts 44% from 3 on 5.4 shots a game.

Considering he is amazing at the rim and also defends he is making a case as a legitimate number 3 scorer. If this kind of play continues he should be a high priority to keep this summer. No bone head trades please. Keep the cap space.

Aloha,

AD has always preferred the 4 over the 5. And even when used as a 5 he was positioned out on the perimeter like a stretch 5. This was problematic the last few years considering he has lost his 3 point touch.

Coach Ham said enough. We are making you a low post center. And like a true center you will also anchor the defense. The result?

1st in the NBA in defensive rating.

1st in rebounding.

3rd in Blocks

Oh ya, he is averaging 27.5 a game to boot.

Last night not only did he have Poeitl, one of the best defensive centers in the league on him but he was also doubled every time he touched the ball. He still scored 25 on just 13 shots and just for fun, he added 15 boards

This is the blue print for any Laker success we have going forward. Now there isn’t a trade that will turn this team into a true contender. But if we could find a trade for a wing defender with size that can shoot, that is what we should spend trade assets on.

With AD playing this way, if we can see a little more of last years version of LeBron and if kids like Lonnie, Austin, Troy and Bryant can grow, this could be a fun team to watch.

Next summer we will have caps space with 2 way forwards like Jamari Grant, Dillion Brooks and Kuz among others available. We could sign one of those guys and probably retain Lonnie. I just want us to be very careful on who we trade for because we could build a very competitive team if we are smart. But then, we have Rob in charge… Oh well….

Aloha,

When the report came out that the Lakers are willing to wait until the 15th to look for a trade, you could hear the groans from Laker fans everywhere. But this makes sense for many reasons.

The first and most important reason is, what trades are actually available at this time? There are no reports that the Nets are even shopping Kyrie at this time. Also that maybe because a survey from GM’s around the league indicates that there are not any takers. Including the Lakers.

As I suspected the Jazz are actually shopping for upgrades. They love Clarkson and are talking extension with him And they are not taking calls on Markannen.

The Pacers owner told anyone that would listen that he doesn’t believe in tanking. He wants to build while staying competitive. And so far that’s the case. The Pacers are off to a nice start and haven’t engaged anyone calling about Turner.. while I’m not saying he won’t be traded at some point it probably isn’t going to be for a while. And there is always the chance they try and extend him . He is not that old.

As for other teams there really isn’t a lot of rumors out there.

As for the Lakers, they have questions to answer. Can any trade elevate them into contention. The only way they can answer that is by playing more games.

AD is playing MVP basketball, can he sustain it when LeBron returns. And can LeBron look better then he has so far.

Lonnie has been terrific. Will his stellar play continue. Same question goes for Austin. He has been growing before our eyes. And please can we get him more then one 3 point shot in a game? Thomas has looked very good so far, will he continue to improve. Can we get more from some of the others?

We a need a lot of positive answers for all of the questions before we make any big trades.

After the 15th most of the players in the league will be eligible for trades. What opportunities will become available. Players can get injured. Teams can under perform. There could actually be smaller trades available that doesn’t include Russ.

We are one of only 8 teams with cap space next summer. I can see holding off on a trade if it’s not going to matter. We could add some good 3 and d forwards this summer. And if Lonnie continues to play this way I would love to keep him. But without cap space we couldn’t keep him because we don’t have bird rights. All of these things have to be considered. Waiting until the 15th will give the team more time to answer all of these questions.

Aloha,

While AD has a different tool box then Shaq, he has been just as dominant over the last 3 games. I have long been an advocate for AD at the 5. While he has benefited from these teams not having a true big to check him, the truth is there aren’t many of those centers in the league that can. We saw him do this to Embid last year. While I don’t know how his back is feeling it does appear that it’s not a problem at this time. With his jump shot still suspect I am hoping AD embraces this going forward. While he would prefer to play the 4, it’s clear that the 5 is his best position. Hopefully he doesn’t defer to a LeBron when he returns. LeBron wants to give him the team. I hope he takes it.

The Lakers are better then their record. The record was a result of a new team, an unforgiving early schedule and unusually bad shooting early. While none of the guys we brought in were known as shooters they were all shooting well below what they had done in the past and it was just a matter of time for that to turn around.

I said from the beginning that after health the development of the others was the key to the season. And we are beginning to see the others come through. Austin has been really assertive on the offensive end of the floor since LeBron went down. He was a good scorer in college and now that is finally translating to the big stage. Hopefully he will not defer once LeBron comes back.

Walker has been good to great, Troy and Gabriel have been solid and Nunn seems to be finding his game again. But I’m am glad that Bryant is back. I was really excited when we signed him. I tend to follow the baby Lakers once they left the team and I knew that if Thomas was recovered from his injuries he would be a big plus for this team 15 and 9 in 22 minutes is outstanding. He is also demonstrating why he was considered one of the best rim running bigs in the game before he got hurt. He should be able to offer a little more rest for AD. He has played a little with AD as well so that helps us with our lack of size up front.

It is becoming more apparent that the Lakers were smart not to make any panic trades early. Russ is increasing his value with his play and we are now able to get a better idea of what we have and what trades might be available. The front office said that they would give this team 20 games before looking to make a trade. If we can continue to win, it might be better to wait until the 15th when most players in the league will become available including our own.

Aloha,

We are now 4 and 10. Honestly I thought we would maybe be 6 and 8 at this point because it was yet another new team with a difficult early schedule. One thing working in the Lakers favor is how tightly the west is packed this year. We are only 2 games out of the play in. The Clippers are 9th but only a game and a half out of first. So this definitely gives the Lakers a chance to move up. Now trade or no trade the Lakers will not challenge for a title but I could see this group making the playoffs if the they continue to take these baby steps.

One of the reasons I’m optimistic is AD. He has went beast mode lately. He is one of the best centers in the game, whether he likes the position or not. Unless he can some how rediscover his jump shot. He needs to stay there. In the first quarter they set him out further and while he got fouled a lot he didn’t have a basket. Once they started posting him up inside, he went off. And having him post inside has him there to clean up misses. It’s apparent that his back is better just by watching his body language and if he stays healthy and continues to stay aggressive, he could carry this team a long way. Now that’s a big if with him. I will be interested to see what he looks like when LeBron returns. Right now he has put the team on his back. Will he defer to LeBron? Hopefully coach Ham can prevent that from happening.

Lonnie was very good again and Troy was solid but I loved Austin. He continues to expand his game. He is just so fundamentally sound. I hope he continues to be aggressive on the offensive end, because we really need it. I assume that we will see Austin back with the 2nd unit once LeBron returns. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I am seeing a the pieces for a pretty good 2nd unit developing.

Russ has been solid with the 2nd unit. 10 points but more importantly 12 assists was great but it was other guys that were huge. We looked like a team that had 4 days off, playing a bad team and we fell way behind. But the 2nd unit rode to the rescue. Nunn went 4 for 4 for 10 points, which was good to see. Gabriel had 15 on 5 for 5 shooting and 7 boards. After looking shaky offensively early, he seems to have found his offensive footing lately.

But the guy I’m glad to see back was Thomas Bryant or as Tom calls him the bust, for no apparent reason. We have desperately needed some quality back up at center minutes and Thomas provided it. 8 points on 4-6 shooting, 5 boards and a block in 13 minutes. And we got to see one of the things he excels at with his rim run dunk. I have a feeling once he gets into game shape we will see him with an expanded role. He certainly got a lot of love during the post game interviews. He even shared the floor with AD for a few minutes. I will be interested to see if that continues.

Because of our lack of size on the wing, coach Ham has done a good job of minimizing the damage. Still it would be great if we could land a wing with size. Still how far we go really will come down to if AD can continue playing at a high level and if we see more of the LeBron we saw last year. Hopefully the baby steps will become grown man strides in the coming weeks.

Aloha,

Just a few observations.

AD had a monster game. No one in the press asked him how his back was feeling but that would have been my first question. This was the first game that AD didn’t look like he was hurting. He wasn’t laboring up and down the court and I didn’t see him grab his back once. Hopefully he has turned the corner with his back issue. We need a lot more of this moving forward.

I must admit I was one of those that were disappointed that we gave Lonnie Walker our MLE. But like Malik and Austin the year before, Jesse Buss and the scouting department know what they are doing. He’s been solid with a couple of great games sprinkled in. His defense has been very good and his 3 point shooting is coming around. After a horrible start from 3 his lifted his percentage to 35% but he is over 50% for January. We definitely need more of this moving forward.

I love Austin. I had been hoping he would become more assertive on offense because he has a solid offensive game. And he has come through the last two games. He is not as athletic as Alex and not quite the defender Alex is yet but he is just as smart and he is improving. And like Alex he is beginning to evolve as a good secondary ball handler. His future is bright so Rob will probably let him walk for nothing.

Troy Brown has been solid. Score another one for Jesse. While he a not a starter on contender he could be a decent rotation guy off the bench.

If one doesn’t believe that our biggest need isn’t length on the wing, all you have to do is watch 6’ 1” ParBev guarding 6’ 11” KD to know we have a problem. Don’t get me wrong, I love PatBev. He has had both PG and KD working hard for everything they get and he’s a better defender than LeBron on the wing, but this is still a serious problem.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Dennis and Thomas Bryant can bring to the team. Reports are we might see them as early as Friday. I’m especially interested in Thomas. He had a good training camp and we can really use his size and skill set especially since Jones has been a disappointment so far.

For me the development of these secondary players is key. They need to continue grow to make any trade worthwhile because there isn’t a trade out there that changes anything unless these other guys are playing at a high level.

This brings up another point, who does Rob think he’s fooling with talk of landing a superstar in a trade. All the guys mentioned, KD, Levine and Beal are all under long term contracts. If any of these teams decide to tear it down, they can all do better then Russ and two distant firsts. The Nets over reached with their trade demands but even if they lower their expectations, they still can do better then our package. I think it’s all just a PR ploy to satisfy the fans while they evaluate what they have.