You can’t take shortcuts to build a roster similar to what OKC & IND is putting out on the floor right now. This ain’t a video game. These teams have intangibles that don’t just come together in a single off-season. We don’t have the culture, the structure, the continuity, the camaraderie, the coaching, the player development….nunna that. We don’t even know how to properly utilize LeBron and Luka on the floor together. It’s more than just plugging in stats and hitting the play button. If we keep Reaves and/or Rui, we ain’t winning the title next year. And if we get rid of them, we most likely ain’t getting enough back in return to win it all either. Pick your poison.

I think folks are selling Rui way too short. I agree that Luka & Reaves aren’t a great fit and AR needs to be replaced but I don’t like throwing Rui in the deal and creating another hole in the lineup. We threw Christie in that Luka deal and now realize he isn’t that easy to replace. We went into last summer with smaller needs…a backup center, a couple of wing defenders off the bench. Now after a blockbuster trade, we still need those same wings in addition to a starting center and a starting guard to pair with Luka. And with every new guy we bring in, we get further away from being a cohesive unit who can realistically contend next season. It’s extremely difficult to switch out 7 guys (including 3 starters) in a 10 man rotation and have it all fit together in a year. But…this is the situation we find ourselves in right now.

I don’t know if we should keep trading 2 starters and only getting 1 back in return.

Might as well give it a shot…nothing else has worked. The players need to give a shit about this game instead of acting like they’re doing everybody a favor just by showing up. That’s the only way it’ll get any better. They want all the perks of being an All-Star without having to actually play the game.

This is one of the biggest issues I have with the Lakers organization. What’s the plan? For the last several years it seems like we just try to piece something together and hope Lebron makes it work. Obviously, you gotta make that Luka deal when some idiot throws it on the table. But once again, we’re in scramble mode after radically changing our roster and style of play by exchanging Luka for arguably the two best 2-way players on the squad. We’ll be a top regular season no matter what because the talent level of Lebron & Luka combined with some decent role players is gonna win a buncha games. But beating a top team 4 outta 7 is a different proposition. The way the league is set up right now means it takes time, planning, smart moves, and vision. That’s how OKC & Indy got here and it’s why you see teams rising up like HOU, DET, and probably the Spurs next year.