From Heroes to Zeroes: LAL + GM Lebron

I'm glad that I came across at least one article, via Yahoo!Sports, questioning what all the excitement is about concerning the Lakers' recent moves.  The fans have the freedom to express what the mainstream media cannot, that this incoming iteration of LAL is arguably "worse than last season's squad", which is saying a lot.

And in my eyes, that's not even the biggest problem, i.e. the quality of the roster per se, because some offseasons are more successful than others.  Nor is the fact that outlets like NBC have actually given the Lakers an offseason "A" for acquiring the likes of Walter Kessler, Quentin Grimes and whoever TF Sandro Mamukelashvili(?) is.  Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm not into dissing players, so that previous sentence is not meant to be a dig against anyone.  But this is the Lakers, for crying out loud.  In days past, they made headlines for acquiring the likes of Kobe, Shaq, Gasol and Lebron - all-time greats.  And now, re-signing Austin Reaves and poaching a C-lister from the Jazz are supposed to be big deals?

As for Kessler, I've only heard positive, or let me more specifically say promising things about him these past couple of years.  It also seems that he spent most of last season injured.  Why they would want to pair a player with a concerning injury history with Doncic, who knows.  But let me say that Walker's name has never been in the headlines more than it has these past couple of weeks.  And it's never particularly inspiring when an NBAer is more popular as a free agent than he is as an actual player.  Those kind of scenarios usually end with someone being overpaid.

Also, wasn't he restricted?  So if he's so great - worthy even to be the center on the Lakers, the franchise that employed the greatest Cs of all time - why isn't anyone asking why the Jazz didn't match the offer?

THREE WHITES DON'T MAKE A RIGHT

Also, let me ask the burning question in my mind - you're actually trying to tell me that LAL is going to start three or four Whiteboys?  I don't know who Mamukelashvili is but, based on his last name, I'm presuming he's White(?).  Really, Los Angeles?  Talk about breaking away from tradition.

I'm actually an Austin Reaves fan.  He's the only young player, i.e. draftee I can think of, off the top of my head, who excelled under Lebron - so much so that I'm wondering if he'll continue to do so without him around.  But one of the concerns, with both him and Luka in the backcourt, has been defense.  Remember, this is now a guard-oriented league.  And L.A.'s braintrust totally failed to address that concern, even losing Marcus Smart in the process.

Let me further say, even though it may sound like I've been Luka bashing these last couple of posts, that I'm not.  Even from the time he was a rookie, I've been saying that Doncic is the most naturally talented player in the NBA.  He isn't the tallest or strongest or fastest, but it's almost as if he was born with a basketball in his hands.  Luka Doncis is the Lionel Messi(?) of the NBA.  But what became obvious a couple of seasons ago, when the Mavs made the Finals, was that he doesn't have the endurance of a traditional NBA superstar.

I'll admit that towards the end of last season, surprisingly to me, the Lakers did begin looking like contenders.  That is until Doncic, once again, found himself on the injury list at the most inopportune time.  Shouldn't they have at least tried to address that reality during this offseason?  When Luka inevitably goes down, you're trying to tell me that Reaves + Kessler + Grimes is going bring home the gold?  LMAO.

DAMN THAT LEBRON

I mentioned Lebron in the title, so you may be wondering what does all of this have to do with him?  Well he's the one who, imo, either directly or indirectly, has been most responsible for leading the Lakers down a path whereas, in the next couple of years, they may not be the premiere franchise in the NBA anymore, i.e. the one that children most fantasize playing for.  By 2030, that may rather be the Spurs.

LBJ does deserve credit for helping facilitate that championship in 2020 and most notably in that regard, recruiting AD.  Amidist all of that, LAL, if I remember correctly, lost Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle.  That was pretty much their future.  But, in true GM Lebron fashion, even if those guys had stuck around there's no guarantee they would have won a championship, so they had to go.  Or put otherwise, King James is definitely more concerned about today than he is tomorrow because, if he was actually concerned for the future of the franchise, he would have tried to develop those young players instead of discarding them.

He did the same thing, if you'll remember, in Cleveland, sacrificing a rookie Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love.  Again, a championship, so what can you say?  But after the fireworks were finished, how many years did it take for the Cavs to become competitive again?  Lebron seems to know what it takes to win an instant championship, but after that, good luck.

Let's not also forget Miami.  If dude actually had patience, it would have been best if he stayed there throughout the years.  In 2014, the Big Three Heat had a down season (by their standards), in that they made the Finals and lost.  Although there were other factors, I think that, more than anything, is what pushed Lebron away, i.e. believing that he would better off alongside a young Kyrie Irving (who, if I remember correctly, won All-Star MVP that season) and also understanding he would have more personnel influence back home in Cleveland.  Either way, the Heat have made the Finals a couple of times since he left but have never looked as formidable.

Previously with Cleveland, when Lebron led them to the Finals in 2007, imo that's the greatest achievement of his career (besides his longevity).  But he had to leave and come back before they eventually won.  And when he left, oh my goodness were the Cavs garbage.  They had to get three number one picks in four years(!) before he was able to rationalize coming back.

Lebron has been in L.A. for eight seasons but only won one championship.  Idk if that actually classifies as a success story by Lakers' standards.  Magic won as a rookie.  Shaq + Kobe did it in four years.  And Kareem, I think it took him awhile to win in L.A., but by the time it was all said and done, he won five.

And the problem wasn't that King James came to L.A.  The problem is that, with his will exerted, they weren't able sustain a formidable roster.  Secondly, with Lebron aging and other franchises realizing what time it was in terms of him making and breaking franchises, less and less were compelled to pay the max to acquire him.

THE WANING DAYS OF KOBE

Now, let's compare what's happening with Lebron to the elder Kobe days with the Lakers.  By the time Bryant retired, LAL was very much garbage.  He was surrounded by young, unproven players, none of them even having B-list status the way I remember it, but he didn't demand out or that the franchise trade them to surround him with other superstars.  He understood he was old and embraced it with class, looking towards the next generation instead of trying to win as many championships as possible.

Even if Lebron wins another ring, will it really make a difference?  He'll then have five, which still isn't as many as Jordan (or Robert Horry).

Also, is King James really going to play on a veteran's minimum?  When I read that, I almost started crying.  Or let me say the first thing that came to my mind is that, why doesn't he just retire instead of settling for something like that?  Lebron is too great (and rich presumably) to be paid like someone who's lucky to have a contract.  He ran the Lakers masterfully during the Second Round, but they had no chance against OKC, even if Luka were healthy.

Anyway, the point being made is that Kobe actually left Los Angeles better off than Lebron did, because at least after Bryant's retirement, they were still the Lakers that we know and love.  You know, they still had hope type shit.  They were still the most desirable destination in the NBA - so much so that a prime Lebron signed with them, even though they weren't contenders at the time.

You can't say that shit now, folk.  Post-Lebron, we've gone from the days of Shaq + Kobe to Doncic + Kessler, with the media implying that the latter pair is just as promising.  That's why sometimes I have a hard time respecting the mainstream, because it feels more like they're telling you what you want to hear (or what they're being paid to say) rather than the truth.

CONCLUSION

But maybe embracing this mediocrity will eventually lead to LAL chasing Wemby, if and when he ever becomes available.  And just in case I'm not able to get off another post before LBJ makes his decision, I'm still advocating him going to the Pistons more than any other team.

Dear Lakers, Just Focus on Wemby

We live in the age of positivity thinking, prosperity gospel and shit like that.  When motivational speakers are indirectly berating us, one of their favorite themes is harping on this idea that we don't actually know what we're worth.  That's one of the reasons life if unfulfilling, because we don't know how valuable we actually are.  Something like that comes to mind when I look at the Lakers these days, how they're settling for C-listers instead of going after the best of the best.

THE FUK HAPPENED?

Traditionally LAL is a contender, and even if they aren't for a couple of seasons, it's only a matter of time before they pull off a blockbuster move and get right back up there.  They poached Shaq from Orlando, even though the Magic weren't garbage, and I'm sure they could have paid him just as much, if not more, than the Lakers.  They had the foresight to trade a borderline allstar C (Divac) for a popular yet unproven rookie (Kobe) - a move so bold that braintrusts to this day don't have the balls to do shit like that.

And if you look at the championships they've won over the last six decades, there's been some exceptional roster construction, but it ain't exactly rocket science.  LAL had Chamberlain, Kareem, Shaq, Gasol and AD holding down the middle.  The first three are literally the most dominant players in NBA history.  Pau is an international legend.  And as for Davis, sometimes I feel like he should retire, but either way, he's still the best C of his generation and a future hall of famer.

That isn't meant to be a knock against Ayton, Hayes or anyone else currently manning the 5 in L.A.  When the Lakers traded AD for Luka, when everyone else was gasping like it was some type of coup, I was like 'are you sure?'

It's bad enough that they let GM Lebron rule for half a decade.  But at least he was astute enough to bring in AD, while Anthony was still sorta in his prime, and they won that championship together.  Remember, the Lakers practically gutted their roster to get Davis.  I didn't really favor that move, sacrificing their future like that, but at least they were being true to the organization's winning tradition, going after the best C in the league.

Also keep in mind, if I remember correctly, that Lebron had nothing to do with the Luka trade.  There may be issues when it comes to LBJ exerting his influence over roster decisions, but he's probably wiser in that regard than LAL's current braintrust.

LAKERS DEVIATE FROM TRADITION

So now you have Luka saying something like he needs an "A-list" center.  Duh.  The Lakers already figured that shit out before you were born.  But I believe there were a couple of factors that led to them making their biggest trade in over 20 years without getting a premiere big in return.

One was the widespread belief that the NBA has 'gone small'.  TF does that mean anyway, in a league where the average height is 6'7"? 

And I was warning dudes like, the Warriors' dynasty was an anomaly, not the new norm.  Yes, countless players have since imitated Steph.  He made it legal for anyone bold enough to chuck from the three-point line to do so, and the way the Dubs were structured was such that you needed speed at the 5 to counteract them.  But I mean, do people even realize how unusual Curry really is, how difficult he is to actually replicate?  How many other championship teams in NBA history can you think of whose best player was a PG (not to mention that they had KD for a couple of years)?

Anyway, my belief is that LAL got caught up in the hype and actually thought they could now win with the top of the pyramid being in the backcourt instead of the front.  They're the winningest team in NBA history and apparently never won a championship that way.  But yeah, okay.

The second mistake this new ownership made was rushing the 'it's time to move on from Lebron' idea.  If that's the case, instead of doing something rash, why not just wait until his contract runs out, not re-sign him and take it from there?  LBJ only signs for what, one or two seasons at a time?

And I mean like really, think about it.  Who can you bring in to replace him?  Like 'okay, you play with Lebron now, and then when he eventually retires or leaves, we're giving you the keys to the car'.  Or even worse, 'we're snatching the keys out of his hands and giving it to you'.  Shouldn't they have chosen someone younger and/or healthier for that?  One thing I always like to point out in this argument is the fact that Dallas did not fail in surrounding Luka with teammates who complemented his strengths.

And here's the funny part.  When you look at the Lakers' performance from last season, now it appears that they're in a situation where they have to re-sign Lebron.  Or what, do you truly want to put your hopes in Luka?

You have to take the Kristaps approach with Doncic, like okay, we're a superteam when you're healthy, but we're still contenders when you're not.  His health doesn't dictate him making the most money on the team.  Nico Harrison knew that and, as time progresses, is gradually looking more like a pariah than a GM who dumbed out.

WEMBY OR BUST

So going back to this whole smallball thing, now there's actually a shortage of dominant Cs.  Dudes have been forced to focus so much on three-pointers that now, they no longer know how to post.  Or looking at it from another angle, it's less work to shoot jumpshots than to man yourself in the middle.  So if you give players the option, which are they going to choose?

And even then, there's only a handful of really good Cs and only a couple that are dominant.  One of the latter is Jokic, and I mean, I use the term dominant loosely in his case.  He's an outstanding offensive force but leaves something to be desired defensively.  And he's not winning shit unless he has a real good roster around him, and no, I don't mean Luka and a bunch of castaways.

The best of the best, of course, is Wemby.  Now, it seems unfathomable that anyone could potentially poach him from the Spurs.  As far as Lakers' comparisons go, San Antonio is the only team of the last 30 years to be just as successful, likewise winning five championships.

But let's go back to the beginning of this article.  You're the fucking Lakers, for crying out loud.

So there you are - a young, ambitious exec, trying to make a name for yourself.  You're tired of the rat race and willing to risk it all for a big raise with all the perks.  So you swallow your fears, go straight to the GM and boldly proclaim 'sir, we're the fucking Lakers. Historically, when it comes to 5s we only go after the cream of the crop. Let's pursue Wemby'. And he's like 'there's no way San Antonio is going to give him up, and they have his Bird Rights. Let's go after Ayton instead'.

Do you say 'yes sir', sheepishly walk away and pray he doesn't fire you for making a seemingly impossible suggestion?  Or do you slap his b*tch ass like he just pissed on the grave of Jerry West?

CONCLUSION

Fine, you got Luka for AD, a round of applause.  But what's the endgame?  If, say, Lebron doesn't re-sign, who are you even going to spend that extra money on?

I don't want to read anymore reports of the Lakers chasing C-listers, while the starting lineup isn't even ironed out.  If you're going to go after 'an A-list center', there's really only one who can mitigate Doncic's deficiencies, i.e. lead the team to victory even when he's hurt.

And that would be Wemby.  You've committed to Doncic, untraditionally prioritizing a 1 over a 5, so now pay the price.  Getting Luka wasn't a bad move, but now it's time to go back to the Lakers' championship formula.

Trade Talk: Ball vs. Reid

I believe the Hornets got the best of this trade, because at least their strategy is theoretically discernible.  But as for the T-Wolves, I can’t imagine why they would trade Reid for Ball, besides future draft picks, unless the goal is to sell more tickets.

BYE, BYE BALL

I totally understand why Charlotte traded ‘Melo.  Under his leadership, which lasted over half a decade, they haven’t really accomplished shit in terms of actually winning.  That is up until last season when, after the All-Star Break, they unexpectedly became competitive, even one of the best teams in the East (during the regular season).  But logically speaking, that wasn’t as much due to Ball, whose been around for a minute, as it was the newer presence of Kon Knueppel.

Having both of them wasn’t the problem in and of itself.  The more outstanding players you have, the better - if they can all get along.  So the real problem was Ball exposing himself as the chuck he is during the postseason.  There's a lot of chucks in the NBA these days.  But in order to rationalize that kind of behavior, year after year, you have to be a really good one, like Luka or Spider.

I don’t feel like looking up stats right now.  But based on what I observed with my own naked eyes, during this postseason it wasn’t that opponents neutralized Knueppel as much as it was him not getting the ball in positions he could score (if at all).  And that’s hella odd considering that, even as a rookie, he’s the team’s most potent offensive threat.

I don’t think his teammates intentionally phased him out(?).  I think it was more like Ball and co. got caught up in the moment, you know, like their first postseason appearance ever and sorta forgot that Kon was even out there.

Kneuppel’s name sounds foreign, but for all intents and purposes, he’s an American whiteboy.  And with that in mind, note that there hasn’t been a dominant American whiteboy in the NBA since Larry Bird, who retired like 40 years ago.  Or another way of putting it is that, you have to actually play team basketball with an American whiteboy by your side, in the very least during the early stages of his career.

But instead, during the postseason the Hornets reverted back to that freestyle, let’s say Black brand of basketball that defined them before Kon’s arrival, and there were a couple of things wrong with that approach.  First and most disrespectfully was the fact that they likely wouldn’t have made the postseason without him.  It was like biting the hand that fed you, so to speak.

And second is that the streetball approach doesn’t result in rings anyway, unless you have the very best athletes on your roster.  Or let me say that the only time it did work (on a championship level) was when Lebron and Wade teamed up, both in their prime and arguably the two most athletic NBAers at the time.  And that’s the reason you see a lot of teams failing these days, including the likes of the Spurs(?).  You’re not likely to win a freestyle battle if the other team is stronger than you.  And meanwhile, NBAers don’t reach their max strength until they start nearing 30.

With that in mind, maybe it would have been better if they traded Ball for a pass-first PG.  But those types of players, especially on the younger side, don’t really exist anymore.  So the next best thing is to adopt more of a positionless style, which makes Reid a perfect fit, since he can do it all.  And I also think Miller will benefit more from organized basketball.  So I’m totally expecting the Hornets to be better next season, i.e. making the Playoffs instead of Play-Ins.

MILES BRIDGES - THE ODD MAN OUT

I found it interesting that the couple of articles I read about the trade seemed to not even mention Miles Bridges, like he doesn’t even exist anymore.  I’ve seen shoutouts to Knueppel and Miller and White and even Charlotte’s C whose name I can’t remember, but nothing of Bridges.  He may not be a borderline allstar anymore, but at the same time, he isn’t a slouch either (though he takes too many jumpshots imo).

I would speculate that domestic violence incident from a couple of years ago is still haunting his career.  In order to come out of some shit like that with your standing unaffected, you have to be an A+ lister, like Tyson for instance.

But that said, as it currently stands, the Hornets have more depth than they’re being recognized for.  The pundits are insinuating that Reid will supplant Bridges.  But what I’m envisioning is something like the two of them starting together.

ODD MAN OUT NUMBER 2: JULIUS RANDLE

It’s hard being a Julius Randle fan, and believe me, I’ve tried.  But after that series against the Spurs, again, who actually knows what’s going on with these players?

When one of your team’s stars suddenly becomes a nonfactor at the most-pivotal point of the season, you know, these guys are professionals, so that shit seems inexplicable or inexcusable.  So yeah, being banished to the Nets feels like a proper punishment for a borderline allstar lacking postseason potency.  But on the low, Randle + Porter Jr. should be one of the better F combinations in the East.

WHAT IS MINNESOTA TRYING TO ACHIEVE?

If you look at Minnesota’s history over the last 10+ years, this hasn’t been a team lacking talent.  They’ve had combinations such as KAT + Wiggins + LaVine, KAT + Wiggins + Butler and KAT + Edwards + Gobert, which are all more or less superteams on paper.

Looking at that sentence, it may seem like KAT was the problem, but keep in mind that he’s moved on to a championship, while the Wolves, this past season, have digressed.  In fact, I would say these last couple of years is the most-balanced roster they’ve had since the early-aughts, and maybe that injury to DiVincenzo was more significant than most of us realize(?).

In any event, if we were to single out an individual opponent who cost the Wolves their season, that of course would be Wemby.  So if he’s your biggest problem, why would you trade Naz Reid - the one player on your roster closest to Victor’s height/weight(?) - for a PG?

Granted, San Antonio’s Gs also outplayed those of Minnesota.  But even if Ball + Edwards + Dosunmu are able to outplay Castle + Fox + Harper, who’s going to guard Wemby?  Gobert may have had his moments but obviously is too old to hang with Victor for an entire series.  And that’s not an insult, because who can defend him one-on-one anyway?

So I would imagine, I mean I don’t know.  Minnesota is one of those organizations that you always hear about having an (overly-)expensive roster.  But I would imagine, since they got rid of both Reid and Randle, that they’re in the market for a 4, someone who could actually help against Victor.  And that would most logically be Mitchell Robinson, a free agent who, in the Wemby Era, I would imagine is the hottest commodity this offseason, even moreso than the likes of Lebron or whoever else is available.

All of that considered, I would speculate that this move on the part of Minnesota is more about selling tickets than winning a championship.  You know, if you can’t bring home the ring, at least be popular.  And now the T-wolves are definitely must watch - that is until Ball and/or Edwards inevitably gets hurt.

CONCLUSION

I wouldn’t call this past season a failure for Minnesota because, even at full strength, there’s no guarantee they would have beat the Spurs.  So I think with this trade(s), unless they have solid plan to acquire a quality 4, the braintrust sorta panicked.  And what may have compelled them to do so is fear of Edwards demanding out, you know, when you look at the way he behaved in Game 6 vs. the Spurs.

But as for Charlotte, their vision is clearer.  The decision came down to popularity vs. winning, and they chose the latter.  Or maybe, they’re able to perceive that as a team, nothing makes you more popular than actually winning.  The second half of last season must’ve felt really refreshing, finally winning for a change, and they want to build on that instead of once again fizzling out.  Sometimes, it isn’t losing as much as it is the way you lose.