Summer League Summary & Roster Update 07/19/14

The Lakers played their last summer league game yesterday.  They defeated the Denver Nuggets summer league team 83-77, and had a final record of 2-3.  Just as in pre-season, the final outcome of each game is not as important a getting a good look a different players and how they perform individually.  For the Lakers there were two players who clearly stood out from the rest.  It was none other than their two picks from this year's draft: Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson.

Julius Randle

To put it simply, this kid is a bully.  If you met him on the playground he would take your lunch money.  And if you got the courage to tell a teacher they wouldn't help you because they'd be scared of him too.  That's not to say he isn't a good guy because he definitely is...but this guy is like a built like an ox.  When you watch him drive to the rim you just see defenders bouncing off of him in every direction.  It's like watching bumper cars. To give you an example there was one play in Summer League where a defender tried to stop a Randle drive. He got caught with an elbow and needed 3 stitches on his forehead.  And the foul was called on him! LOL. Randle is that good.

Here's some highlight clips of his play against the 76ers:

Obviously he's still a rookie so there will be much for him to learn, and there are a few things he needs to work on a lot.  However, he is oozing potential right now and Laker fans should be excited! Here are the top three skills he demonstrated in SL, and the top three things he needs to improve.

Skills:
Adept at getting to the basket due to ball handling and quickness
Has the ability to finish through contact and draw fouls
Has excellent court vision and makes good passes

Areas for Improvement:
Conditioning is not where it should be thanks to being 3 months removed from the college season
Only attempted 2 jump shots in summer league and missed both, will need one to continue offensive success in the NBA
Set very poor screens which never provided opportunity for anything in pick and roll situations

Jordan Clarkson

The Lakers spent $1.7M to buy this pick from the Washington Wizards.  Right now that is looking like money well spent.  Clarkson is a 6'5" guard who can play the point guard and shooting guard roles.  He's been the Lakers' highest scorer in summer league.  He averaged 15.8 pts, 5 reb, and 1.2ast.  Like Randle he plays with a chip on his shoulder and has a knack for getting to the basket.  He surprised the Lakers with just how good his shooting has been.   Clarkson even had a game winning tip in vs. the Warriors.  He was projected to go in the first round of the draft but somehow fell to the mid second round where the Lakers got him.  Good pick by Mitch and Co.

Here's some highlights from his best summer league game:

Here are the top three skills he demonstrated in SL, and the top three things he needs to improve.

Skills:
Fearless attacking the basket and effective once he gets there
Has the ability to knock down open shots off the pass or dribble
Seems to be a leader orchestrating the offense

Areas for Improvement:
Could improve his ball handling
Defensive intensity could improve
Distributing the ball on offense

Roster Update

The Lakers have signed several more players making their roster all but complete for the start of the 2014-2015 season.  GM Mitch Kupchak  was quoted as saying the roster would be at 13 players.  He could change his mind but that is where the current count stands.

Without a head coach or a system in place it is difficult to predict what the Lakers depth chart will look like.  Here's how I would place it.

PG: Lin, Nash, Clarkson
SG: Bryant, Young
SF: Johnson, Henry
PF: Randle, Boozer, Kelly
C: Davis, Hill, Sacre

It should be noted that some players can play multiple positions.  Bryant, Young, and Henry can all play SG/SF.  Clarkson can play PG/SG.  Kelly can play SF/PF. Davis and Hill can play PF/C.  So the Lakers have some flexibility in their lineups.  It will be up to the coach to put them in the best position to succeed.

This roster doesn't scream championship contender (not enough interior D or shooting on paper), but I think it is an entertaining squad that can make the playoffs.  It should be a far better team than last year.  There are several shot creators who will make it interesting on offense.  Lin, Bryant, Nash, Young, and Randle can make plays.  That is plenty to make sure the offense doesn't get stagnant.  The Lakers also have a good mix of pick and roll and post players which gives even more options on offense.

The major concern here will be defense.  There is only 1 shot blocker on the roster (Davis) and 1 player known as a "defender" (Johnson) who was inconsistent last year.  The Lakers will have to play consistent team defense if they want to make the playoffs.  That means they will have to communicate and work well as a unit on that end of the floor since they don't have a Serge Ibaka type player who can erase the mistakes of others.

All in all it should be a fun team to watch and I can't wait until training camp.  I'll bring more articles as things develop :) ... GO LAKERS!!!

The Roster and Randle 07/13/14

Before we get to the fun of discussing the potential of the Lakers' #7 draft pick, Julius Randle, let's go over the current roster and see what we have.

As of today:

Point Guards
Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Kendall Marshall

Shooting Guards
Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson

Small Forwards
Nick Young

Power Forwards
Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly

Centers
Jordan Hill, Robert Sacre,

Obviously this is far from a championship roster.  In fact it's far from a complete roster with only 10 players.  Nevertheless the biggest holes I see are:

Interior size, Shot blocking/rim protection, Perimeter defense

This team will struggle to stop people from scoring.  The Lakers need an athletic wing player or two who put effort into defense.  They also need a center who can do the same thing.  Javale McGee might not be a bad option for the center position is the Lakers can trade Nash for him (it would depend on how desperate the Nuggets are to get rid of him).  He has had maturity issues on the court in the past so the Lakers would need to take a gamble that he could fix those.

The strengths of this team would definitely be on the offensive end.  Here are my top 3:

Shot creating, potential for good shooting, potential for good rebounding.

Notice that 2 of the top 3 are labeled as "potential".  That lies a lot on what type of system the Lakers run and if Nash is actually able to contribute at all.

JULIUS RANDLE (#30)
6'9" PF 250lbs

All year long I wanted the Lakers to get the Aussie Dante Exum with their #7 pick.  He was selected by Utah at #5.  But when it was announced that we were picking Julius Randle I wasn't really disappointed.  After watching his post draft interview and his introductory press conference I was flat out excited!  I do like his game, but perhaps most of all I have been impressed by his upbringing, his maturity, and his old school attitude.  One of his first comments after being drafted was that he was going to" Make other teams pay for not picking him."  When another reporter asked him if he wanted to play with LeBron James, Randle responded by saying he'd rather play against him because he's a competitor.  Does that sound familiar at all?  It should because Randle's favorite player growing up was none other than Kobe Bryant.  As a freshman, Randle led Kentucky to the national championship game.  They lost a close one, but Randle was impressive throughout the tournament.

Here are Randle's strengths as a player:

Motor (hustle and energy)
Quickness and speed for size
Strength
Agility
Touch around the basket
Competitive drive
Post moves/footwork/face up game
Ball handling

Here are things he needs to work on:

Defensive effort/intelligence
Consistency with jumper (has a nice stroke)
Conditioning

Below is a nice welcome video that shows some of his standout plays from college.  However the system he played in was a little restrictive for his game so his high school highlights may actually be more relevant to the NBA.

Welcome home Julius!!

The Lakers also drafted guard Jordan Clarkson with a 2nd round pick that they bought from Washington.  He has impressed so far in Summer League.  If he makes the team I will have a write up on him as well.

Go Lakers!!!

Rebuilding the Franchise... 07/13/14

"There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."

It's funny how a classic quote from the latest Dark Knight movie can sum up the state of the Lakers today.  Simply put the league was tired of being dominated by the Lakers.  Sixteen championships (actually 17 since there is one the league won't recognize) and appearing in 31 finals tends to make the other girls at the party a little jealous. To completely understand why the team is in a rebuilding phase today all one has to do is look back 3 years ago to the NBA lockout in 2011.

The average fan doesn't understand the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and how it affects a team's management strategy.  This document controls the rules of the NBA involved with trades, salary cap, and free agency.  That's not even to mention how it governs the money distribution between the owners and the players, which is perhaps the most important part.  After the 2011 lockout the players and owners signed a new CBA which had a new set of rules written to stop the Lakers and other big market teams from acquiring high talent players easily.  The new rules are so effective that large market teams can no longer just pay more money for the players they want.  They have to do more with less.

Before the ink had time to dry on this new CBA, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak had already figured out a way to succeed.  He traded Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom for Chris Paul.  Not only had he gotten the best player in the trade, but the team was saving enough money to afford Dwight Howard and David West as well.  Of course sadly we all know what happened from there.  In a never before seen move the NBA blocked the trade.  From that point forward the Lakers have been making high risk moves to try to put a contender around Kobe and give him one last shot at a ring.  Unfortunately their injury history has been horrible, and their coaching hires have almost been as bad.

The Lakers gave it one last shot this summer to get Bean another superstar to play with.  They went for Melo. They even went for the long shot of LeBronze.  They struck out on both.  Despite what ESPN might tell you Lakers' management/ownership is not to blame on this one.  This new CBA makes it far more lucrative for players to stay with their current teams (Melo), or for them to go to a team with young players on rookie contracts (LeBronze).  Kevin Love is a lost cause at this point as well.  The Lakers don't have the pieces to get him, drafted a talented rookie who plays his position, and he wouldn't stay here unless the team was closer to winning.

With no real shot at a contending team the Lakers were forced to adjust to the strategy of re-building.  The best way to do that is to acquire young talented players on affordable contracts until you can attract a superstar to carry your franchise.  That's why the Lakers traded for Jeremy Lin.  Sure, he could miraculously improve from being average to all-star point guard, but the real benefit of getting him was the two draft picks Houston gave us.  They will explore other similar deals throughout the rest of summer and the season.
 

And the 1st pick in the 2014 NBA draft belongs to....(05/19/14)

The NBA Draft Lottery is upon us! Tomorrow at 5:00 pm PST on ESPN the league will broadcast the order of the 2014 NBA Draft. After an abysmal season full of injury and disappointment, this is an exciting time for Lakers fans.

The Lakers finished the 2013-2014 season with a record of 27-55. It was the 6th worst record in the NBA. Unlike the NFL however, the NBA does not seed the draft directly by record. It has a draft “lottery” where any of the 14 teams that missed the playoffs have a chance to win the #1 - #3 picks. The first 3 picks are determined by the lottery, and picks 4-14 go in order of worse record to best. Essentially the Lakers will either pick at 1, 2, 3, or 6, 7, 8, 9. For more details see the list below:

Lakers draft position odds:

1) 6.3%
2) 7.09%
3) 8.10%
4) 0%
5) 0%
6) 43.99%
7) 30.44%
8) 3.96%
9) 0.1%

Let’s pray the Lakers get a good pick! The better their pick is there will be more quality players available to draft. Who they draft will also affect who they choose for their head coach. It’s not everything, but a lot of the Lakers’ future hinges on the success of this draft.

I’ll have more on the potential coaches as things get closer to being ironed out. At the moment I’m rooting for UCONN coach Kevin Ollie…Until next time…GO LAKERS!!!

Can a pick buy you Love? (03/28/14)

ESPN is currently running an article on how the Lakers are thinking about attempting to trade their draft pick this offseason for Kevin Love. Whether or not the Lakers are actually thinking that way, let’s analyze this possible move:

Upside – The Lakers would get a proven all-star caliber player. Kevin Love is a guy who is talented enough to be the second option on a championship team.

There could also be a miracle scenario where the Lakers use the pick to trade for someone like Love or of that caliber, and also sign LeBronze. But that is HIGHLY unlikely so I won’t go into detail.

Risk – Kevin Love would still be a free agent next offseason unless he signed an extension. And as Dwight Howard proved, players are willing to leave extra money if they feel like they are in a better situation. What would happen to the Lakers if they traded for Love, and when he came the team stunk or Kobe got hurt again, and he walked to another team? I shudder to think. That would be a disaster.

Also the Lakers would miss out on the chance to develop a good player on a cheap contract. With the way the salary cap restrictions are good players on rookie contracts are more valuable than ever! It allows you to put more money towards supporting players or stars.

One intangible aspect is that giving up the pick means giving up the chance at another home grown star. Part of the fun in watching Laker HOFers like Magic Johnson, James Worthy, & Kobe Bryant is watching them grow up right in front of our very eyes. We see them start off as mistake making rookies, explode into super stardom, and then finish as Champions. I think now more than ever Laker fans need a guy like that to root for. We need someone for Kobe to pass the torch to.

Bottom Line – The chances are incredibly slim that as a result of trading for Love the Lakers could be contenders next year. So my vote is for “no”. “No” makes exponentially more sense when you realize the Lakers can have both Love AND their draft pick if they just wait one more season.

Patience.

Jim Buss, Phil Jackson & the Dangers of Desperation (03/21/14)

Lakers fans are in a bit of a fix as of late and maybe for good measure. Our captain is injured, our record is among the worst in the league, and our Hall of Fame coach just signed with another team somewhere on the east coast. Perfect time to panic right? Well before we start grabbing our pitchforks and torches allow me to shed some light on the situation. Besides, there’s too much traffic to get to Staples and I’m not sure a pitchfork will fit in my car.

Phil Jackson

Last week former Lakers head coach Phil Jackson signed with the New York Knicks to be the President of Basketball Operations. No, he will not be coaching the Knicks. He is too old for that much work, and frankly he has nothing left to accomplish as a head coach in the NBA (11 titles). Phil wanted an opportunity to run a franchise from the front office and not from behind the bench. Now he finally has an opportunity. So what are his responsibilities? He will be making decisions like coaching hires, setting the training staff, and have near final say on personnel moves. The only person above him in decision making will be the Knicks’ owner James Dolan. He won’t be a GM in the sense that he negotiates contracts and talks to agents, but he will dictate which players he wants or get signed. Will Phil be successful in his new role? Who knows? He’s never had the job before. One saving grace for Knicks fans is he can’t be any worse than what they’ve had. ;)

Jim Buss

Naturally, Laker fans are asking why couldn’t he do that job on the Lakers?? Simple. The job is already filled by owner Jim Buss who is the son of the late Dr. Jerry Buss. (This is where all reading this blog let out a big sigh and say, “Ughhh I hate Jim Buss!!”) But not so fast! How much do we really know about Buss other than what ESPN tries to convince us of? Like his father Jim Buss does not communicate with the media much. A lot of media members are turned off by this and make certain assumptions about him that may or may not be true. The fact is Jim Buss has been involved in the Lakers’ organization since the early 2000s. He has been heavily involved in major decisions that constructed out past two title teams from 2009-2010. He and Mitch had nearly pulled off the steal of the century in acquiring CP3 before the NBA intervened. Don’t forget about acquiring Howard and Nash which were good trades at the time. He can be criticized for his coaching hires, but Dr. Buss was involved in those decisions as well.

Dangers of Desperation

The key for the Lakers franchise and their fans at this juncture is to not rush or panic. The team was well on its way to contending again before unfortunate circumstances happened (CP3 veto, then unprecedented injuries). The decisions were mostly sound. However, now it is time for a complete rebuild. In our case the house has to be completely torn down before it can be renovated.
The worst thing the Lakers could do would be to spend all of their cap space this summer trying to field a championship team. Unless the 0.0005% chance occurs that LeBron signs here, whatever team we put together will likely lose in the 2nd round. There just aren’t enough good players available. Additionally the financial implications of spending big on long term deals this summer will cost us in the future. That means we should keep our draft pick this year and not trade it for a current all-star (Kevin Love). It would be smarter to wait another year and then add someone like Kevin Love to our draft talent. That’s how we can get back to contention, but it may take a few seasons. Patience is key.

Go Lakers!!!

Trade Deadline Completed and Draft Prospects (02/21/14)

Steve Blake Traded

The NBA's trade deadline ended at 12pm PST yesterday. The Lakers were looking to trade for young players, cap relief (saving money), or draft picks. These are the things that they need to start rebuilding the team.  They were willing to part with Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, and Steve Blake.  That doesn't necessarily mean they don't like or want these players themselves, rather that these are players that other teams want from the Lakers.

In the end they were only able to trade Steve Blake for cap relief and a couple young players on expiring contracts. The Lakers received Kent Bazemore and Marshon Brooks from the Warriors. This trade does a few good things for the Lakers and one good thing for Steve Blake:
- Saves the team money
- Gives them a chance to see if these young players can improve like Xavier Henry and Jodie Meeks have already
- Makes us a worse team this season which increases the chances of a better draft pick
- Gives Steve Blake a chance to win this year

It sucks to see Steve Blake go, but the Lakers did the trade in such a way where it was a favor to Steve as well. He'll be a free agent this summer and he was quoted as saying he wouldn't mind returning to the team. Win-win. It's unclear yet whether Bazemore or Brooks will stick with the team. It likely depends on how they play for the remainder of the season.

2014 Top Draft Prospects

This draft class is touted as being a strong one. That's why the Lakers were trying to get another pick, and also why other teams were reluctant to give them one.  Fortunately we do have our own 1st round pick. And with our record it's likely to end up in the top 3. Below are the 3 players I'd like to see us draft (in order of my favorites) if we get a top 3 pick.

1) Dante Exum

Many of you might not have heard of this guy before, and there's a reason for that ;).  He's a 6'6" guard who's just coming out of high school. His dad played in the NBA, but he was raised in Australia while his dad played professionally there. Does this story sound familiar to you? Replace Australia with Italy and you've got Kobe Bryant's bio.  The background of both athletes are eerily similar. It's even more scary when you realize that Exum has signed Kobe's agent, the Lakers are his favorite team, and Kobe his favorite player.  He was even at the Lakers vs Rockets game of Wednesday since he's in LA working out until the draft.  This kid has got future Laker written all over him!

Strengths:
Basketball IQ, ball handling, passing, gets to the basket, finisher, a will to compete, footwork, leadership

Question marks:
Inferior competition, vertical leap, lack of scouting tape available

Exum has great potential.  He even interviews well. If he ends up here I think the sky is the limit. Kobe will mentor him, and he will be willing to listen.

2) Joel "JoJo" Embiid

Embiid is a 7'1" 19 year old center from Cameroon. He's another Lakers fan as well and Pau is one of his favorite players :).  This kid is quick and agile. Think Andrew Bynum in the '07-'08 season before he ever got hurt. He was running the floor, catching lobs, and blocking shots. These are all things Embiid does. Only he looks like a gazelle doing it rather than a dinosaur with a sprained ankle like Bynum did lol. Embiid has incredible footwork and defensive instincts for such a yound age. He's a little taller than Anthony Davis, and there games are similar. He has better post moves while Davis is better from the perimeter.

If he reaches max potential he really can be the modern Hakeem.

Strengths:
Size & quickness, shot blocking, rebounding, footwork, post moves competitor

Question Marks:
Foul proneness, injury concerns (only because of the stereotype with 7 footers)

3) Andrew Wiggins

He's the guy everyone has probably heard about. He's being touted as the next LeBronze, but you can't really tell from his play at Kansas. That could be due to the system they run there however, which doesn't really allow one player to be dominant on offense.  We can see is extremely athletic and is already a lockdown defender. If his offense flourishes in the NBA, look out! He very well could be a T-Mac or Paul George type of player.

Strengths:
Crazy athleticism, perimeter defense, rebounding, do-it-all player

Question Marks:
Aggression, ball handling, leadership

Wiggins' ceiling is T-Mac level with better defense, and his floor is Igoudala without the ball handling.

I'll save my other prospect for next time and I'll also provide some videos of them in action.

Until the next entry...farewell Steve Blake...and go Lakers!!!