Aloha,

Great win for the Lakers against a team many consider a contender in the west. I know it’s just one game, but I saw what I wanted to see. The Lakers regulars didn’t play a ton together in the preseason but when they did they looked very good and this was a continuation of what I saw in preseason. Just a few thoughts.

I wrote earlier that I was warming up to JJ and that trend continued. The Lakers busted their butts and JJ was completely engaged. He even called time out to slow some of the TWolves runs, something Darvin rarely did. For a first game I thought the teams executed extremely well.

Our new offense was on full display. JJ promised to unleash AD and boy did he. 35 points and 16 boards. He could have scored even more but he missed some bunnies early that he normally makes. But it was the ball and player movement that was even more impressive. Since LeBron arrived the Lakers have been an iso heavy team. Not last night. I really like how JJ ran the offense through AD. AD had 4 assists but he had a couple of others passes that led to players getting fouled and there were missed open 3’s as well. The offensive created good looks, we were just missing. We will start making them.

The defense also shined. People seem to forget about coaching staffs. Nate McMillan is a great defensive mind and his switching defense had his fingerprints were all over the defense. We gave the TWolves multiple looks and they could never quite figure us out. Ant man had 27 but on 25 shots, he was never comfortable. We also did a great job on Randle and Reed.

And of course offensive rebounds were an emphasis and we came through big time. Austin and AD had 4 and Rui had 3. We had 3 more offensive boards and 8 fewer turnovers. We had only 7. That’s 11 more shots right there.

I thought Austin had a great game. Beyond his 9 boards his defense was very good and he just seemed to be the glue guy on offense.

Rui also had a strong game. Mister irrelevant did what he did last year after he became a starter. Did what he did in the Olympics and in preseason. 18 points. Strong defense, with 2 steals and he blocked Rudy. He generally had either Randle or Reed and neither did much.

I liked Dalton’s run. He wasn’t a liability on defense and he showed off some of his play making skills. I could see him taking minutes from Max when Vando returns.

I came into the season cautiously optimistic. Based upon how good our starting unit looked down the stretch last season and in the preseason. I’m still cautiously optimistic. Yes it was only one game but I liked what I saw.

Aloha,

I haven’t posted in a while. I went into NBA hibernation because this may have been the most uneventful NBA offseason I can recall. Not just for the Lakers but the entire league. The combination of the new CBA, the play in and the lowered lottery odds for tanking has created a truly boring offseason with very little in the way of trades. The few players supposedly on the trade block were being shopped at ridiculously high prices. Even moving players with 2nd round picks was pricy. It cost the Nuggets 3 2nd round picks to move off of Reggie Jackson. While I blame Rob for the position we were in going into the summer, I don’t blame him for not getting anything done under these circumstances.

Still I’m cautiously optimistic heading into the new season. JJ is growing on me. He has the players buy in. They seem genuinely excited to play for him. He has a few experienced former head coaches to fall back on. It’s the leadership and vision that counts more than X’s and O’s.

I like our starting unit. They were 21 and 8 down the stretch with the toughest schedule in the league. And everyone they faced has something to play for. When this group played together this preseason they still look very good.

While we didn’t add any free agents this summer, in a way we did. Vando and Gabe played very little last year and if they are healthy this years it’s like adding 2 tough defenders to the team. Wile I’m hoping Vando will be back soon, Gabe has looked pretty good in minutes he played. Obviously he was on some minute restriction as they eased him in.

So I think we are solid through the top 7. I think after that is what will tell the tale. Overall Max was pretty impressive, especially on defense. He is still young and does make young guy mistakes but overall I think he will contribute. I believe Dalton will make JJ go to a 10 man rotation. He looked very good. If Wood can rediscover his offense, he is a guy that played well with AD last year. But our biggest current need is a defensive minded center to back up AD. We were killed last year whenever AD rested. Perhaps Koloko can be that guy. If not, at some point we will have to trade for one.

I think if this team performs well, AD could be a MVP candidate. I believe JJ is going feature him more than any of the prior coaches. There will be no more 4th quarters where he doesn’t touch the ball.

A lot has to go right for this team to contend, health of course being number one priority. We will need our young guys to a take another step in their development. And I have already seen it. With the exception of 3 point shooting, Austin has looked better on both sides of the ball. Rui has as well. He is defending better and rebounding at a high level, to go with very solid offense. He was my candidate for MIP player in a poll I took part in. Max has grown and we will have to wait on Vando.

While the west is really tough and we have a hard schedule out of the gate if most everything goes right and maybe wrong for a few teams I think this could turn out to be an exciting year.

Aloha,

I was just thinking of the talent the Lakers have drafted or signed as non drafted players. It’s pretty impressive. I’ve included players received using a Lakers first round pick.

Guards
DLO
Lonzo
Austin
Hart
Caruso
Max
Dyson Daniel’s promising 6’ 8” pg picked by the Pels
Dalton Knect

SF
BI
Jayden McDaniels TWolves
Deandre Hunter Hawks

PF
Randle
Kuzma

Center
Zubac

That would be a pretty good team. It’s a testament to Rob’s brilliant leadership that we don’t have more to show for it.

Aloha,

The regular season can’t get here fast enough. I understand that paid clickbaiters need to write to get paid but come on man!

In the last two days I read a post where the Spurs land both LeBron and Curry! And another where the Lakers land the Greek freak!

Just stop the nonsense😂

Aloha,

I have been thinking about ways that the Lakers could pull off a trade that would help the team without actually hurting it. I read somewhere that Ainge covets the Lakers firsts more then the Knicks who offered two for Kessler because the Knicks picks more than likely will be very good for years to come making the picks closer to 2nd’s while the future for the Lakers is less certain.

The Trade would send DLO, Hood-Shapiro, a first and removal of the protections on the 2027 pick. The Lakers receive Colin Sexton and Walter Kessler.

Why the Lakers do it is pretty obvious. It solves their back up center problem with a skilled 22 year old that could not only back up AD but also get minutes with him. Sexton would provide the same scoring as DLO. While he didn’t shoot as many 3’s as DLO, he did shoot 39% he is not quite as good at assists but he is much more athletic and plays faster then DLO and he’s also a down hill threat. Plus he’s only 25.

Why would the Jazz do it? First money. DLO has an expiring contract, while Sexton has another year after this one. For whatever reason Sexton doesn’t appear to be part of their long term plans. Neither are very good defenders but Sexton played on a team that lacked good defenders. Hood-Shapino would give them a 21 year old 6’ 6” point guard to look at. The Jazz are heavy on bigs and only have one PG other than Sexton, is more of a combo guard. And he is a 19 year old rookie. After this year Hood-Shapino’s next two seasons have team options, so if he doesn’t pan out they can cut him.

I think this could be a trade that could workout for both parties. While it would hurt to give up a first, Kessler would be only be 27 in 2029.

Aloha,

Rui got ejected from the Japan France match up. The video showed, it was just a foul. With 5 minutes left and Japan down by one they tossed him Japan lost in OT. Rui had 24 points at the time. I guess they couldn’t let France lose to Japan, in Paris. Disgraceful. This will be controversial for years to come.

Aloha,

I have read so many articles on the Lakers inaction that I have drawn the conclusion that all of these writers do not understand that the league has changed and it will probably never be the same again. The 3 things that changed everything are:

1. The new CBA with all of its punitive penalties for exceeding the various caps. And rules that make trades more difficult.

2. The play in game. This has given many teams hope of cracking the playoffs making them more reluctant to trade good players. While it’s championship or bust for the Lakers, making the play in game would be a huge win for many franchises.

3. The new lottery odds that discourages teams from tanking.

I guess I am less disappointed than many Laker fans because my expectations were so low going into the off season. This was a relatively weak free agent class but the bigger issue is the lack of sellers and the abundance of buyers.

It’s Econ 101. Supply and demand. Is Walter Kessler worth 2 first round picks? Please. Jamari Grant is a name linked to the Lakers. The Trailblazers want 2 firsts for him. He’s a good player but he’s not worth 2 firsts and a couple of good players.

I’m sure the Lakers are doing a cost analysis, I know I am and I don’t see any of the names mentioned that move the needle enough to justify the cost. Perhaps a big center like Wendell Carter would be worth a first because he is only making 11 mil but a lot of other teams think so too.

I think the Lakers are smart waiting. There will be a new system. I believe Austin, Rui, Vando and Max all have room to grow. Of course Darvins miss management of the roster hurt. When Rui became a starter, the Lakers went 21-10 with the toughest schedule in the league over that period. This is a good team. I think it makes sense to see who they are with better health, especially Vando and Vincent. We didn’t get a chance to see that last year.

For me the biggest win of the summer is that we haven’t done anything stupid yet. But Rob is the GM so I do worry. The worst thing the Lakers can do is overpay for a move that doesn’t really elevate the team. A trade just to make a trade would be stupid. .

Aloha,

I have no idea what is going on. Like I said, I had very low expectations going into the summer but this is ridiculous. Now Robb probably didn’t think that all 3 of the minimum contracts he handed out last year would opt in. But they all for various reasons did. Now are hands are tied. We have a 15 man roster and are into the 2nd apron. I have no idea what Rob is thinking. The Spurs just sent a player to the Hornets with a 2nd round pick. The Hornets will waive him. Robb needs to do something similar. Any of our minimum contract would do the trick. Until we get below that 2nd apron, our hands are tied. We can’t combine contracts in a trade for an upgrade. We can’t bring back even a penny more in a one for one trade. We can’t sign any of the potentially helpful free agents still on the market. I just don’t get it.

Aloha,

So, the Mav’s trade Hardaway jr into the Pistons cap space. It creates a trade exception that allows them to trade for Klay. This creates a trade exception for the Warriors and they sign Buddy into it.

And our Lakers can’t even find a trade for a minimum expiring contract that we pay to land into some teams cap space. We have a team option for next year on Maxwell Lewis so even he’s an expiring deal.

A trade puts us under the 2nd apron and allows us to make some moves. Don’t you think Rob that you should do that while there are some useful players still available?

Aloha,

Tell me if you have seen this movie before. The Lakers go fishing after the big fish, while smaller fish that could have been useful are snapped up. The Lakers are ultimately unsuccessful and are left with nothing but minnows to choose from.

Aloha,

Just heard that the Lakers were set to give Klay a 4 year 20 mil per deal but the Warriors would not do a sign and trade with DLO. Thank you Warriors.

Dr Buss liked stars, so Jeanie likes stars. But there is a difference between having a star resume and still being a star. If we are going to trade DLO we can do better than Klay. He isn’t that guy anymore.

Aloha,

Well looks like Klay is going to the Mavs at 16 mil per for 3 years. The Mav’s had a trade exception to fit him into. Honestly, my heart isn’t broken. While he would have added value as a MLE signing, I wouldn’t waste trade assets on him. Good on Rob.

I actually don’t think Rob is doing anything wrong this summer. It’s just that we are in this mess for all the huge mistakes he has made in the past.

I’m to the point where I don’t know if I would spend our remaining trade assets on a marginal upgrade. It looks like Mitchell will resign with the Cav’s he is the kind of player you spend those picks on. He is a bonafide superstar. Say you trade for Jamari Grant from Portland. Yes he would be an upgrade over Rui but not a game changer.

If LeBron were smart he would take that pay cut and allow us to sign a couple decent role players with the MLE. An over the hill former star isn’t going to move the needle enough.

At this point, I wouldn’t mind standing pat with our core and hope guys like Austin and Rui continue to grow, maybe find a signing or two on the margins and save those picks for either a big fish or that rebuild that’s coming sooner than we would like.