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 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 even 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 leave, 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 unrealistic 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 anyway?
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.
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