Aloha,

While there seems to be a never ending series of articles about how Russ and LeBron will fit together, there is a bigger issue, one that maybe more important. It will be nice having Russ running with LeBron to ease his playmaker burden but I think the bigger benefit will be when LeBron rests. This has been a problem for the Lakers ever since LeBron arrived. The offense stagnates when LeBron rests. I suspect that Russ and LeBron will rarely rest at the same time. The Lakers would stagger AD and LeBron but that doesn’t have the same impact because AD is a big, not a playmaker. Russ running the show when LeBron rests is what I am looking forward to the most.

Aloha,

I’m still waiting on our 14th player. Normally I would be on NBA hibernation mode. But with our lack of size on the wing I’m still holding out hope that we can land Ennis. That said I have been thinking of the surprises and disappointments of the off season.

Surprise: Signing Westbrook. While it cost us a couple of core defensive players, I don’t think anyone expected this. It was all about Buddy until it wasn’t. I think it helped that the Wizards wanted to get out from under Westbrook’s massive contract but still I don’t think anyone thought we could land a superstar with what we had to trade. Plus we added 3 2nd round picks which no one saw coming. As far as fit. We lead the NBA in basketball IQ. We will figure it out.

Disappointment: Not landing either Otto Porter Jr or Batum. We could could have used either. Especially they both were signed to minimums. They both had the size that we lack. I understand that Batum probably felt a connection with the Clippers and until Kawai returns he will have a big role. Porter Jr probably saw a bigger role with the Warriors as well. Still either would have been huge.

Surprise. Signing Bazemore for the vet minimum was a very pleasant surprise. After a quality season with the Warriors I thought he was at least a mini mid level player. While Melo, Ariza and Ellington were on about everyone’s free agent radar, signing Bazemore came out of the blue.

Disappointment: Losing Alex. The guy was just a glue guy and one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. He had such an amazing chemistry playing with LeBron. His defense will be missed. He shot over 40% from 3 but didn’t shoot a lot. I think that is more about coaching and our schemes really were not 3 point shooting friendly.

Surprise: Again Out of no where we sign Monk and Nunn two young guys with upside. We also signed them both for under market value. With the age of this roster it’s going to be important having some young legs to throw out there. Nunn especially still has the kind of star upside that I would never thought we could get for 5 mil. He had been projected at the full MLE. And Monk at 22 was probably at least a 5 mil player.

Disappointment: losing Marc and then replacing him with Jordon. Who could have guessed that the Drummond signing would have consequences this year. Marc was the perfect fit for this offense while DJ is a more Dwight lite. I would have felt better if we had landed Boogie instead. But honestly, there has to be some reason for that. Perhaps Boogie didn’t want to come back. Maybe he got upset that we turned to Marc the summer before and not him after spending half a year with the Lakers.

Surprise: Well not really, I kind of expected THT to come back. To maintain a championship level team I think it’s important to develop at least a couple of young players. THT played like a high lottery pick last year and he has the tools, work ethic and desire to be an all star caliber player. At only 20, I think he is a head of schedule. I guess the surprise for me was he didn’t wait for an offer sheet. That could be the Klutch connection but I think it’s more about wanting to stay a Laker. After Westbrook, his development will be the 2nd most interesting story of the season.

Disappointment: Not bringing back Keef. Why we wouldn’t bring back a big mean combo forward when we lack size at the forward is beyond me. Especially after he claimed to want to retire a Laker. The only thing I can think of is he didn’t like his role once we signed Melo. He would not get a lot of minutes. Still it would be nice to have another small ball 5 on the team in case AD goes down.

Surprise: Landing Reeves and Ayayi, two guys that were projected 2nd rounders without a 2nd round pick. Now it’s been said they both turned down being drafted so they could sign with the Lakers but none of the articles explained how they could do that. Is there different rules in the 2nd round. If anyone knows please share because none of the articles explained how it could be done.

I would be interested in hearing other surprises and disappointments.

Aloha,

I have been checking in on the Lakers this off season more then usual this time of year, because of the additions, but Primarily because everything is settled by now. The Gasol question is still the largest remaining one. Publicity Marc has said he intends to return. He has not made any statements about retirement. Yet we are supposed to be after DJ. It would make little sense carrying 3 traditional centers when our greatest remaining need is a wing defender with size. The interesting thing is DJ has cleared waivers but he is still unsigned and Marc is still on the roster. This is a crazy business and you never know what’s going to happen but it has always seemed unlikely that the Lakers would cut him for DK when they have Dwight. Marc offers a different skill set while DJ is pretty much Dwight lite. So are they waiting on Marc? Is there a trade in the works? Who knows but after such a great off season, I think it would be a huge error carrying 3 traditional centers. Beside if AD were to go down, LeBron is about the only guy on the roster that you could plug in at the small ball 5, which I’m not sure I like.

A lot has been made about Westbrook’s awkward fit but I’m not worried. This team is loaded with high IQ players so they will figure it out. I suspect both Russ and LeBron will both play more off the ball then they are use to but they will adapt.

I’m the most curious about the younger guys. We invested in THT and think that was a good thing. He showed a lot of on ball defensive ability last year, he just needs to clean up his rotations, which is typical of 20 year olds. Hopefully he can raise his 3 point shooting % as well. His stroke looked good hopefully it’s a confidence issue and that’s resolved. I don’t expect him to sky rocket to a 40%er in one off season but he can lift it to 35% this year that would be great.

Nunn is the guy that is really on my mind. Many pundits feel he may have been the steal of the free agency period. He is thought of as an under rated defender but because of his size he will probably be defending the point most of the time. I see him getting most of his minutes with LeBron playing the Avery Bradley role. Defending the point but a much better scorer. Unless he really under performs, I don’t think we will see much of Rondo. All the pundits from Picus, to the Spectrum Lakers crew to others I read believe Rondo won’t see many minutes. At least in the regular season. I agree with Jamie here, if Rondo plays a lot, something is terribly wrong. Either injuries or under performance.

Aloha,

I was just thinking about Rondo if we do indeed add him. While I’m okay with having Rondo, if he ends up playing a lot of minutes something is terribly wrong. I look at him as insurance policy for injuries to Westbrook or even LeBron. But I’m wondering how we will utilize Nunn. He is a terrific scorer and an underrated defender. But he is basically an undersized SG. I didn’t see him starting because we would have an extremely small back court. I saw him spending a lot of time running with LeBron when Westbrook rests. Sort of the same role Avery Bradley played. LeBron was the point guard on offense while Avery defended the point. And I really hope that is how it plays out because Rondo while a pesky defender, isn’t the defender he once was and he is no where near the scorer that Nunn is. How they use Nunn is an intriguing question for me.

I have also been pondering out defense. While the offensive fire power that we added will make being the top defense in the NBA less important we will still need to be a top 10 defensive team to sniff another championship. And we have issues there. We lost several top notch defenders in KCP, Caruso, Kuz and Wes. Even Dennis was very good on ball with the speed and quickness to stay with his man full court. And also keep in mind that both KCP and Alex were both 6’ 6” which gave us a lot of defensive versatility. Also Kuz has been developing in a very good defender over the last 2 seasons and at 6’ 9” he presented a lot of problems for the opponents wings. None of the players we added are as good defensively as the player they replaced with the possible exception of Bazemore. And if we do start LeBron at the 4 it will mean we will have an undersized wing at the 3. I know Trevor has been a great defender and brings a lot of experience but his best days as a man defender are past him plus we lack depth at the 4 as well so he will be needed there at times. Scheme will be everything this year.

I’m hoping THT takes a leap, actually it maybe more important for him to take a leap as a defender then as a 3 point shooter. He is long with a sturdy body to bang with so I think he may see even more minutes at the 3 then the 63% he played there last year. He showed signs of being a very good on ball defender last year. His problem has been in his rotations which isn’t unusual for a young player. I really believe THT could be breaking out by mid season this year. I won’t expect him to break out before he can legally buy a drink in November. I remember watching Randle and Ingram struggle early on but when you watched them you could see the talent oozing out of them. I see the same thing in THT, we lucked out getting a lottery talent in the 2nd round. And I don’t see him being part of any realistic mid season block buster trade because we just ran out of other trading chips and the chips we do have isn’t going to get us anyone much better. I think we will hold on to THT because 1. We have 3 superstars already 2. We can’t land another with what have to trade and 3. It’s very hard to sustain a dynasty without some home grown talent that you can go over the cap with. Hopefully we can find one or two more diamonds in the rough. We will need to.

Aloha

Normally this is the time of year that I kind of tune out the NBA. Most everything is settled by now and we are just waiting for training camp.
Not this year. The Lakers still are holding onto a couple of roster spots and it has me checking everyday.

At this point we go a solid 12 deep. We are the deepest team in the league and I believe we will use all 12 guys because of our collective age. So those last couple of spots aren’t exactly crucial but they are intriguing. The Lakers maybe waiting for the the buy outs. And while they maybe privy to inside league scuttle butt that we haven’t heard, it could be dangerous waiting because the few remaining quality guys won’t be on the market much longer.

For me I would rank a big physical wing as our number one need. We don’t have much depth there. I like Ennis here and I’m a bit surprised that no one has scooped him up yet. He might be holding out for a piece of a remaining MLE. I looked at a few of the other wings we have shown interest in but I would bring back Mckinnie over them.

I see PF with the ability to play some small ball 5 as our 2nd greatest need. AD is our only small ball 5. With LeBron, Davis and Melo our only PF although Ariza can probably play there. Milsap would be the best solution and it shouldn’t really matter if Marc decides to retire or not we need Marc’s size on the roster as well. The thing about Milsap is you read a lot of writers suggesting Milsap but there really haven’t been a lot of chatter about interest from the Lakers. You hear the Warriors and a couple other teams. If the Lakers can’t land Milsap, I would take a flyer on a young guy with upside like Marques Criss. He has shown real potential at times and perhaps we could develop him at the end of the bench. Harry Giles is another young big we might be able to develop if he can ever stay healthy.

The last spot is back up PG. and I’m really not that concerned there. Nunn will get most of his minutes at PG. I see him playing with LeBron when Westbrook sits. It would be similar to how Bradley was playing the point on D but was a secondary ball handler on offense. And THT can also play the point so I’m not that concerned. I guess IT for scoring but Im not sure he would want to come here for a small role where he can’t re-establish his value. Same goes for Collison. We can always call Reeves up in a emergency. I would definitely add a wing and a PF before a PG.

Aloha,

It seems like ever time a big 3 is formed, there is always negative comments about fit. It seems like no one other then the superstars involved can see how it will work. When the big 3 in Miami was formed the naysayers were out in force. But D Wade and Bosch both adjusted their game to fit with LeBron. The same thing happened when KD joined the Warriors. He adjusted his game to fit in the Warriors system. And last year when Harden joined the Nets, it seemed like no one thought that could work. How could ball dominate Harden fit with ball dominate Irving. Well Harden adjusted his game from scorer to playmaker.

Our big 3 will figure it out. And one thing to remember is that a huge advantage of having a big 3 is that at least one of the 3 is usually always on the court. LeBron will still run the show when Russ sits. And when they play together Russ will learn to play off the ball a little more, like D Wade did in Miami. I expect to see Russ with his athleticism cash in big from LeBron’s
Passing. For me the offense will be fine. It will be all about our defense. On paper we gave up a lot defense. But defense more then anything else is all about effort. I think everyone will buy in. If you play for Frank you will need to give 100% on D to see the floor.

Aloha

The narrative you read everywhere is that the Lakers are too old to win a ring. A lot of factors as we saw this year goes into winning a championship, health being as important then anything else. One might argue many different things about why the Lakers won’t win a championship but if they don’t win, it won’t be because of age.

Let’s look at the roster. First we have 12 rotation quality guys. We don’t have any typical end of the bench players. With this kind of depth, there will be fewer minutes played and opportunities to rest players through out the year.

LeBron should be over the hill but he’s not. He was the leading candidate for MVP before Hill rolled up on him. a freak accident, not age. Honestly he may retire before he leaves his prime. And having Westbrook should keep his minutes down.

I think it was Phil Jackson that said a player enters his prime at 28 and then they are usually there 4 to 6 years barring injuries. AD is 28 so let’s not worry about him. Westbrook is 32, like KD, Harden, Steph etc. So I’m not concerned about his age. Bazemore is also 32 and Ellington is 33. Perhaps they are at the tale end of there prime but both should have plenty of quality minutes left. So that is potentially our starting line up. All 5 have gas left in the tank.

Now we have THT, Monk and Nunn. All young rotation quality guys to back them up. Take a look at any true contender and you won’t find bench guys much better.

So we have 8 players that you can’t dismiss because of age.

Next up, our centers. Yes they are old. If AD stays healthy does anyone see them combining for even 25 minutes a game? Marc can still be effective in short bursts. And Howard is still a beast. How many young guys in the league have a body like his? It says a lot about your team when Howard is your 12th man.

Last we have a couple of old forwards. Melo had a stellar year last year coming off the bench for 24 minutes a game. Ariza was still effective at 28 minutes a game. I can’t see Melo playing more than 24 and with our depth I really don’t see Ariza playin more then 24 either. Still this my biggest area of concern and I would like to see us add one more forward, preferably a combo forward if possible.

Of all our players I’m actually more concerned about AD with his injury history holding up more then I worry about the old guys. This team is built for this season. Period. And for one season, with injury luck, I feel they are as good as any contender.

Aloha,

One of the major concerns about landing Westbrook was his poor shooting from deep. And .315 from deep is obviously not good. But what all the critics fail to mention is DWade was even worse when he played with LeBron. He didn’t fix his 3 point shot until later in his career. The pairing with LeBron worked because Wade learned to play off the ball. Russ is athletic and has a high motor. If he learns the lessons DWade learned he should thrive.

The other area Westbrook needs to improve on is shot selection. He was miserable on pull up 3’s. Only 28%. But he was a decent 35.6% on catch and shoot 3’s. And surprisingly he shot 40% from the corner. The lesson here is no pull up 3’s. Perhaps Frank should fine him every time he takes one.

Russ has never played with 2 players like LeBron and AD and with so many shooters. His already impressive assist total should be even better. If he makes these adjustments our offense can be right up there as one of the best in the league. And hopefully we can maintain enough defense to stay in the top 10 as well.

Aloha

It’s looking like Dennis is screwed. I read that the Celtics don’t want to hard cap themselves and they only want a one year deal. That means the mini mid level. Can Dennis find more as a back up somewhere? It’s looking more like we won’t get any return from him. And I would be surprised if we brought him back now after he burned down the bridge.
He could be a trade piece later but chemistry is also important. We will see.

While I like the moves we made we still have a few holes left. PG is one. I think Nunn will play PG with LeBron when Russ rests, but if Russ goes down, Neither Nunn or THT are really floor general type players. Reeves has looked good in Summer league, perhaps we would bring him up in an emergency. Not a lot of choices left on the market. Peyton maybe?

We also don’t have depth at PF, with only LeBron, AD and Melo. I guess you could move Trevor there in a pinch but he’s our only wing over 6’ 4”. I like adding either Chriss or Giles. Both can also play center. Both are young low risk potentially high reward guys for the end of the bench. I think our biggest mistake was not resigning Morris. He signed with the Heat for the minimum. He can play the 3, 4 or 5 and he’s tough. Big mistake.

I would like one more tough defender on the wing. Ennis is about the last quality guy left standing. Unless Rob knows something about a trade for Dennis that we don’t I would snatch him up. If the Celtics did agree to a sign and trade the Celtics picked up Josh Richardson which would be a good pick up for us. No way they would trade Smart.

More I think about it the more I like the Westbrook trade over a trade for Buddy. Buddy shot 39% last year on 10 attempts. We can get the same production out of Ellington and Monk. Nunn can also play the 2. When you consider that Buddy is a defensive liability, we may be better off with our SG rotation.

Aloha

I’m pleased with the roster as it stands, so why not take a flyer on a couple of low risk high reward players. First we only have 3 guys at the 4., Ad, LeBron and Melo. Why not take a chance on Marquese Chriss. He is an athletic 6’ 9” 24 year old PF. His career has been interrupted by injuries. He only played 2 games last year but played well for the Warriors the year before. He averaged 9ppg 6 rb and a block in 20 minutes. He is not a 3 point threat but we have shooters, it would give us a little depth at the 4 or even small ball 5.

The other is Justice Winslow. His career has also been derailed by injuries. He is a tough defense minded wing that has shot 375% on threes on 4 attempts before. Both have shown a lot of upside in the past. At the minimum both guys would be worth the risk.

Aloha

I think the Lakers will not rush to fill that last required roster spot. The list of remaining free agents is underwhelming. Obre would be nice but I think something will come together for him better then the vet minimum. I also wouldn’t mind bringing Wes back but we are already a small team and Wes would be yet another 6’ 4” guy.

I think Rob wants to see what he can get in a S/T for Dennis. The market has dried up for starting point guards but he is a very good 6th man so he possibly return something of value, even if it’s a 2nd round pick, since we are thin on draft capital.

I really would like to find a little more length to add and considering we have shooters now, a defense minded player would be helpful.

The interesting thing about Kobe’s birthday is that it falls on 08/23 instead of 08/24 which would have matched his Jersey numbers 8 and 24. That’s eeriely almost like a missed free throw.

Aloha

I would still like to find another SF with size. We are a bit under sized there. James Ennis is still out there. Might see us run a lot of 3 guard offense. It would be nice to turn Dennis into that player but the reports were saying his people were not talking to the Lakers so they may just give him the middle finger salute and let him sign for the minimum.

Aloha

Feeling a bit better with Melo and Monk signing. Melo gives much need depth at the 4. Monk came into the league and struggled with his 3 point shot until this year when he shot 40% from 3 on 5 attempts. Now we need more at the SF. Ennis is still available as is Tony Dnell.