Where Do We Go From Here? (LA Lakers Edition)

At the conclusion of their worst season in franchise history, the first major move the Lakers made was firing Frank Vogel.  This was something they should have done years ago.  So doing it now made him look a lot like a scapegoat.  In other words, changing coaches at this point isn't going to suddenly make the Lakers competitive unless they hire someone whom their big ego star players actually respect.  And as I said before, it's not like there's a bunch of candidates like that floating around at the moment.

Next, the Lakers are supposed to be looking to trade Russell Westbrook.  IMO that's is the last thing they should do.  The Lakers second biggest problem, after AD's health, is the fact that they turnover their roster at the end of every season.  They even did that shit after winning the Championship a couple of years ago.  This seems to be founded in Lebron's insatiable desire to always play on a superteam.  But maybe now finally he realizes that continuity does matter.  One of the reasons the Celtics are so formidable, even though they aren't the most talented team in the East, is because they have continuity, rapport, and that kinda shit.

Also, trading Westbrook wouldn't be good look.  Lebron needs to stop treating his teammates like that.  The prevailing rumor is that Westbrook will be traded for DeMar DeRozan.  But why would the Bulls want to trade DeMar?  And why would he want to go to Lakers anyway?  Chicago is just a player or two away from contending.  And they may be able to pick up that player(s) in free agency, without having to make any type of change to their current roster.

The Lakers should also learn from their past history.  Besides for the 2021-22 Lakers, the only other team I can think of in the history of the NBA that had four players who by that point in their careers everyone knew was going to the Hall of Fame was the 2003-04 Lakers, and their bench was also damn good (unlike the current Lakers).  Yes, by that time the Mailman and the Glove's careers may have been on the decline.  And the same could be said for Shaq, to some extent.  Also, Kobe wasn't exactly a spring chicken either.  But still, the world thought they were a shoe-in to win the championship, even more than they were fooled by the 2022 Lakers.

So what did the Lakers do after being upset by the Pistons back then?  They engaged in a complete rebuild around Kobe.  They were even garbage for a couple of years after, until they once again put together a winning roster and won a couple of championships in 2009 and 2010.

CONCLUSION

But engaging in a total rebuild is not an option now.  If there is one player Lebron seems loyal to, it's AD.  So trading him is out of the question.  And then, this is the burning question everyone needs to ask themselves - which superstars actually want to go LA to play with Lebron anyway?  Steph already shot that idea down.  And it's not like before when playing with LBJ was a guaranteed trip to the Finals.

Also, another lesson to be learned from the 2004/2022 Lakers is that aged superteams don't instantly work.  As displayed by Westbrook this season and Malone/Payton in 2004, it isn't easy to take an alpha dog and ask him to suddenly become a role player.

So imo the Lakers need to leave Westbrook alone and, instead of swinging for a homerun, try to build a better supporting lineup with their current core.  Outside of Reeves and Monk, all of the other role players are expendable.  That way, they can start to learn how to play with each other and actually build a continuity into the future.

But of course with Lebron on the roster it isn't likely they'll actually take that approach.  So what I'm rather looking forward to is the Lakers making some type of hasty trade and/or prioritizing the acquisition of another old star and failing yet again in 2023.

1st Round Predictions - Warriors vs. Nuggets

My feelings about this series before it started haven't changed at all after Game 1.  I knew the Warriors are a vastly superior team.  Denver shouldn't even be wasting their time in the Playoffs, which I guess is a testament to just how great Jokic actually is.

DENVER NUGGETS

This team has like the worst injury issues in the league.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

PG-SG-SF-PF-PC (PointGuard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, PointCenter)

The Nuggets look like a traditional lineup, until you get up to the center position.  People are calling Jokic the best passer in the NBA, and he's like a 7-footer.  Ideally, he'd be surrounded by players that complement his attributes.  But instead, the Nuggets have a traditional lineup.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Jokic.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Jamal Murray is the second best player on this roster, and Michael Porter arguably the third.  If you take any squad in the NBA and remove two of their three best players, no one would realistically expect the team to accomplish anything significant.  And so it is with the Nuggets, even if they do have the reigning MVP.

X-FACTOR

The one active player on the Nuggets roster who I do think perhaps complements Jokic best is Jeff Green.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

A couple of weeks back I was peeping a Nuggets game, and there was like little joy on this team.  It was clear, as least to me, that some of the key players may have issues with Nikola, and vice versa.  And that kinda stuff is never good if you want to go deep into the playoffs.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

The Warriors are my sentimental favorite to win the Championship.  That doesn't mean I actually think they'll win, but if there's any team capable of NBA magic, everyone knows that it's the Splash Brothers (incl. Poole) + Draymond.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

2G-SG-SF-PtF-C (2Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, PointForward, Center)

It's Draymond's versatility and preference to pass that really makes a lineup like this work.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Depth.  Back in the old (non-KD) days, if Steph or Klay had a bad game then the other would have to carry the offense.  Now they have a sidekick in Jordan Poole who at this point is better than Steph.  The Warriors also have more quality forwards than perhaps any team in the league.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Lack of interior defensive presence.  That may not matter to the Warriors so much now with the Nuggets, but it may bite them in the ass later if they advance.  But they do have some potential options to mitigate that issue.  And even though I, as with many others, may have been disappointed that Kuminga didn't get any burn in Game 1, I'm slowly but surely learning to trust the wisdom of Steve "Doogie" Kerr.

X-FACTOR

The deadass Glove was sitting near courtside in Game 1 - naked head, gray hair and all.  And he had this look on his face like if a Nuggets player was driving to the basket and momentarily glanced in his direction, they'd probably miss the layup.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

At the beginning of the season, a lot of people were thinking that the Splash Bros. + Draymond were washed.  But true dynasties are multi-generational.  And just when they needed it most, now they probably have more backup than ever.

CONCLUSION

Jamal Murray was ridiculously hot in the bubble, and Michael Porter, if he were healthy, I believe could one day be a MVP-level player.  But if I'm tired of waiting for these dudes to heal, then I can imagine how frustrating it must be on actual Nuggets fans.  MVPs are players that you can build an entire team around.  So maybe it's time for Denver to truly take that approach with Jokic instead of holding on to aspects of the past.