There are few things certain with the Lakers right now. Whether it’s their coaching search, their pursuit of free agents, or the production their holdover players can provide to next season’s roster this is a team with more questions than answers.
One open question, though, has been answered. After being drafted with the 7th overall draft, the questions shifted from Julius Randle’s talent to whether a pre-draft report about him potentially needing foot surgery would turn out to be true. On Wednesday the Lakers sent Randle to a foot specialist and, for what seems like the first time in a couple of seasons, the Lakers actually got some positive injury news:
1/2: It's been determined that Julius Randle doesn't need surgery on his foot. He is expected to play at Summer League in Vegas.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 3, 2014
2/2: Randle saw Dr. David Porter in Indiana today, who agreed with doctors that had previously seen Randle that surgery was not necessary.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 3, 2014
This, of course, is a huge sigh of relief. Concerns that a screw would need to be removed and, with that, deal with a recovery period of up to 6 months were quite real. Instead, Randle will likely be in Las Vegas with his summer league mates, showing off his skills and generating excitement for the fans.
In the midst of all the wondering, at least the Lakers have something they can hang their hats on. And hopefully for a long time to come, too.
Anonymous says
Pau don’t leave us!!!
Shaun says
Since we are missing out on most of our alleged targets how about an all home run target fa list
Centers
– bynum
– greg oden
If either of them play the whole or even half the season great 🙂 maybe they will be good enough to keep long term
Pf
– jordan hill
– ed davis
– dejaun blair
All youngish I think at around 25ish – maybe hill or ed makes the jump with fulltime minutes
Sf
– turner
– granger
– ryan kelley – who is ranked 5th on rotoworld in terms of fa sfs
Maybe granger get healthy maybe turner learns to play without the ball??
Sg
– a healthy kobe
– turner
– shannon brown
Turner plays mix of sf sg and shanwow brings back his good play with kobe tutoring him
Pg
– a healthy farmar
– aaron brooks
– jameer nelson – maybe
– darren collison
Nash wont do anything all year amd we need a pg that can break a team down on the dribble …. stealing collison might help make the clips a bit less good which should help with the local battle we are going to have to take on in terms of popularity
My rational – most likely lebron, melo and pau are not coming here now , we do not want to give lance the years he can get from the pacers , lowry resigned and I think houston or even the bulls will go after deng …who is not good enough to give a huge contract to anyway ….. so what does that leave us? We need to look competitive , need starish appeal to not completely lose the fan base since ratings dropped 50% last year … we also need some semblance of a roster that could lure fas in the future … personally I thought tjat was the point of getting guys on the cheap last year so that their cap holds would be small so we could resign them at a market amount once we added someone but now thats out of the picture this year amd we sort of need to reroll that plan into next year and the year after except as we have seen in the fa market this year cap space is not enough to lure a top name you also need a workable team to “lead” them to the finals…the only way thats going to happen is if we tale some big gambles amd one of them turns out
To me all these guys are gambles but they are all players who were good or had star potential to a much higher degree than guys like wesley johnson, marshal, meeks, henry or young
With those guys we gave them the mi utes no one ever gave them to shine while this group would be about redemption and playong for their next contract while all of them have shown to be near to star status at a certain point in their career before it got derailed ….we sinply roll the dice, hope that 1-3 of these guys show that they are capable enough to be solid role players and maybe we get another star next year but if pau does go to okc …. the durant and westbrook dreams get shot out the window …it will either be building this way which I would say is more of a dallas strategy or go conpletely the other way which would be the philly way…which to me would spit in the face of our history ….55/61 seasons in the playoffs means something start diluti g that by 5-6 years of missing the playoffs in the new facebook world and the value lf our organizations history goes out the window too along with our fan base
rr says
My guess is that what Kobe wants is Pau + Melo and will push for that over the next 24-48 hours. That would have been a pretty good idea in 2011; I don’t think it is now. I also do not think it will happen.
I hope Randle is really OK, and even though I am ambivalent about Anthony, I like that Jeanie is going to the pitch meeting from an organizational standpoint.
Hindi says
No matter which direction I run, I ultimately strike the same wall- Kobe Bryant’s contract.
Hindi says
According to Woj, Pau is done with LA. Lowry just signed with Toronto. James seems to be returning to Miami. Lakers offer little to attract Melo. Hollins is reportedly signing with Nets. Seems to me like it would be hard to put up a competitive roster. No draft picks in the near future considering the Lakers won’t be bad enough to claim the top 5 protected pick. Really hope that we find serviceable players in the summer league. Deandre Kane seems to have it in him.
It really seems like that they will have to overpay to get better players from this year’s FA.
minorthreatt says
Read the piece about Pau staying if Melo signs. I’m trying to figure out who leaked that story. First guess: Kobe 🙂
Agree with rr — I’m sure this would make TW happy, as well as Kobe, but I don’t like it for lots of reasons. It means they’d have to stretch Nash and still fill out the roster with minimum guys. Means Marshall would likely start at the 1. Is Pau only going to take a 2 year deal? Because if not, there goes a lot of flexibility.
I get the appeal of this idea: it’s probably the surest way to improve in the short term, and there’s something to be said for that. If I were a season ticket holder I’d probably be more enthusiastic. But a starting five of current Kobe, Melo, Randle, Pau and Marshall might be one of the worst defensive outfits in recent history. We’d be seeing a lot of those 130-125 games again, no matter who coaches.
The only consolation is that I also think rr is right: it won’t happen. I worry the time spent waiting will cost us a guy or two who might be a better fit.
minorthreatt says
One other thought: we know — or at least we think we know — that Kobe endorses the Melo (plus Pau) plan. What we don’t know is whether the front office is all in. It’s one thing to meet with a guy; another to pursue him all out.
Yes, it might look bad for a week or two if Melo and Pau go somewhere else, and someone will write the inevitable “After D12, Lakers spurned again” story. But I think it’s clear to most people that the Lakers are a long shot. And I don’t think being rejected hurts them much longterm (from a perception or a basketball standpoint).
If you’d give an injured franchise icon $48 million before you even saw whether he could play again, wouldnt you also agree to meet with one of his free agent friends, even if you weren’t totally interested?
BigCitySid says
Finally some good off-season news pertaining to our Lakers. Actually the only good news surrounding this team has had to do w/ Randle. 1st, choosing him at #7, and now hearing he won’t need surgery. Next Randle question, how good a pro will he be?
Can Randle average 16 pts & 8 rebounds per game for the Lakers? If he can he’ll join the short list of only ten forwards to do it in a Laker uniform. If he can average that for more than one season the list becomes shorter, only been accomplished by five forwards in Laker history.
http://bkref.com/tiny/aWFId
Sure one huge reason is because of the Lakers list of HOF centers (Mikan, Chamberlain, Jabbar, & Shaq). That said, Randle has an opportunity to be one of the more productive forwards to wear a Laker uniform.
Leo says
My concern with Melo is that we’d have to give him a 4 year deal. This means that when Kobe retires a 32/33 year old Melo (who doesn’t take great care of himself) will be our centerpiece. Not a good idea in my mind.
I think our major FA acquisitions need to be younger. I would pursue Stephenson and Monroe.
Eric says
Not sure where this Randle needing surgery story came about, do people really believe a University as prestigious as Kentucky would allow a guy to play hurt with something as significant as a foot injury? Calipari does his due diligence with every player he brings in,this was never as big of an issue as the media made it.
Craig W. says
There is this underlying current in many comments that the front office is incompetent and really needs our input. I find that laughable, whether or not you think major mistakes have been made. The front office has to deal with facts as they are now. Wishes don’t count.
Kobe is a major part of this team for at least the next two years. As such, the front office wisely is careful with what his wishes are. They may or may not agree, but to publicly say we won’t take Kobe’s ideas into account is foolish. This would be making a previous mistake twice, IMO. Add to that the front office has always been very quiet until they actually did something. For instance, the draft; they couldn’t know what would happen with the first 6 picks, so why comment about our needs or desires. There are plenty of talking heads and fans doing that. Just shut up and pick the best player available when your turn comes.
Because of my above statement, I think any comments that purport to report on what the front office is thinking/trying to do are somewhat bogus. Admit it! We are all guessing. I simply choose to give them the benefit of the doubt until they act.
david h says
darius: this is good news and thx for the update on all things Julius Randle. with all the upside Julius projects for himself, what I also find to be especially noteworthy is not only his quickness but his feathery touch around the rim. and when he sets his mind to it; his quickness will allow him to become a solid defensive nba player as he matures.
on the Carmelo front, never underestimate the power of a woman with deep pockets determined to purchase a known commodity; especially if that commodity happens to be good friends with another well known laker commodity.
Go lakers
Mid-Wilshire says
So…I give the Lakers’ signing of Pau and Melo about a 10% chance. The Lakers at this point simply do not have enough to offer Melo. But Chicago does. If Melo does not sign, Pau probably won’t either. I’m betting on OKC for Pau.
None of this would be terrible news IMO. Both players are defensive sieves. And Melo is 30 and Pau 34. This would not be the way to build for the future. Signing either or both players would be very short-sided in my view. But we need not worry. It probably won’t happen.
But there is a Plan B, I think. I can easily see the Lakers pursuing a 24-year old Greg Monroe and a 23-year old Lance Stephenson (who turns 24 on September 5). These are two young, extremely capable, physical players who have yet to hit their prime and are longing for a change of scenery. With an addition of a point guard such as Isaiah Thomas (or even Greives Vasquez), the Lakers would be setting the foundation for a new team for years to come…without over-spending.
That strikes me as much more appealing than the so-called “Plan A” of signing Pau and Melo.
T. Rogers says
MId-Wilshire,
Your plan B sounds much better than plan A. So much better that it is probably a waste of time to even pursue plan A.
Leo says
Mid-Wilshire: But there is a Plan B, I think. I can easily see the Lakers pursuing a 24-year old Greg Monroe and a 23-year old Lance Stephenson (who turns 24 on September 5).
___
Your your lips to Mitch Kupchak’s ears. I have been preaching this so hard that I was afraid Darius would ban me. My only variation on your proposal is that I would go with Kobe and Stephenson in the back court. Lance can handle the ball and another poster, who watched a lot of Indiana’s games, felt that the Pacers offense ran smoother when he ran it.
I might resign Pau for a two year deal because there are no viable options easily available. The Lakers could sign and trade him but the odds are we would not get a talented front court player in return. Pau is not as durable as he once was so you have to assume that he will miss about 20+ games a year.
That’s why Monroe is so desirable. He played center the first two years in the league so he could play there for the Lakers if there is no other option. Or, if we resigned Pau then he could play the 4 with Randle moving to other forward position in a big ball lineup.
Justin says
I find it funny how all over the board Lakers fans seem to be. Seems like some of us want to go Lance, Monroe, and young. Others want Melo and Pau. I am personally conficted because I see the strength and weakness of both plans. By the way I get the feeling that Love does not end up getting traded and the the Wolves want to go into the season with the hope that they get a playoff birth and Love then decides to stay. This to me is the best chance the Lakers can get him (though his fir with Randle would be horrible so does that mean they trade him or bring him off the bench since good bigs are so hard to come by). I can’t wait for this off season to be over because I just want to see what team they have and root for it no matter what it is.
Justin says
By the way I think Deng is a real possibly if they strike out with Melo. Could see that paired with Lance and Pau (by giving him $20 million over 2 years, double what other teams are offering).
Justin says
@Mid-Whilshire Van Gundy isn’t letting Monroe get away from that team even at the max. Monroe, Hayward, Bledsoe are not happening. RFA are near impossible to get and even over paying them, those teams are matching (especially since the Lakers would be only offering 2 years to get the 2016 plan alive).
Vasheed says
I’m still really bummed the Lakers drafted Randle. Here’s a pretty good read breaking down Randle’s lack of defense:
http://www.celticsblog.com/2014/4/7/5589048/randle-problem-analyzing-julius-randle-weaknesses-defensive-stats-nba-draft-kentucky-title-uconn
I’m a min-maxer. I really want to see the Lakers start thinking about roster construction as a whole not just the biggest names available. It easier to build a roster if the guys you play can play 2 way ball and can fulfill multiple roles if necessary. I’m really big on Vasquez as he is a big true PG who can switch to SF or Sg. That allows you to play him while using your back up PG or fill in a roster spot if one of the guys gets injured. One of the things that isn’t mentioned enough was how flexible the personnel were under Jackson during those championship runs.
Eric says
Wow Vasheed, way to beat a dead horse. So on every Julius themed post by Darius are you going to bash the Julius pick. If you don’t like him move on! Reiterating your posts over and over again bring nothing but negativity about one of the Lakers biggest and only assets/players right now. I have posted numerous time about how people are overanalyzing his defense and the reasons why he didn’t apply himself defensively in college. Heck few young players worry about that until they get into the league and realize they have to become better defensive players. The players who are better defensively coming into the league usually are offense deficient. Leonard for SA was a great defender but a terrible offensive player. Aaron Gordon who was drafted higher is considered a better defender, but struggles offensively unless it is a dunk around the rim. He is 19, he can and will improve, physically and in terms of his basketball IQ/habits on the floor. So instead of focusing on your negative opinion, why not be positive and embrace him and hope you are wrong.
gene says
Go after Bledsoe(restricted)…. Bledsoe/Randle…2 good young players to start the rebuild with…..
James says
Vasheed the funny thing is you can watch that video and see that most of that stuff is effort related. (Also one game is a very small sample size) All correctable issues, anyone who plays basketball knows it is easy to get caught ball watching or having bad closeouts. I see his defense as a non-issue, he will improve.
Justin says
@Chris Y, I actually think the coaching thing makes some sense to me. Last time they hired a system guy (D’antoni and even Mike Brown before that) and that doesn’t work with the wrong players. I think they are trying to put together a roster and then get a coach that the roster makes sense for. So if they get Melo they won’t get an uptempo coach. But if they get only young fast players they probably go for an uptempo guy. At least that was one rumor I heard.
Stefan says
What do people here think of George Karl?
J C says
I get the logic of pairing the coach with the players.
However that doesn’t hold much water when every single other available coach is gone!
Is JVG even a candidate?
Haven’t even heard a peep about him.
Byron obviously didn’t procure Kyrie so there goes that argument.
Byron looks more and more like a caretaker coach that, at least, cares about the Laker brand and that just might be a whole lot better than our previous coach.
Renato Afonso says
George Karl is very flexible with his offensive system, the defensive adjustments and control of the pace. He’s a very organized coach that actually adjusts to the roster available in order to squeeze out a few more wins. However, his flaws are exposed in the playoffs where he’s usually too slow to adjust to the other teams specially on the defensive end. Also, his plays sometimes get botched because of defensive pressure at the end of playoff games. Anyway, those are two areas where a good assistant coach with enough gravitas to make himself heard will help.
I’d be on board with signing him now because he can adjust to whomever we hire and because we don’t expect a deep playoff run, so his flaws won’t matter that much.
Regarding the signing of player A, B or C at X$ per Yyrs, I think everyone has their preferences and until we see what happens, we’re only speculating. Let’s wait until we have 7 or 8 signed players before we can say we need player A or player B because, as of now, we need everyone…
PS: On a side note, I find it extremely hard to root for Carmelo Anthony and since he plays best at the 4 I think he wouldn’t help the development of Randle, as he would take minutes away from him.
melcountscounts says
Starting lineup of
Randle-Wes Johnson-Greg Monroe-Kobe-Marshall/Farmar
Not going to win a title, but could be worse.
Wish they could bring back Jordan Hill, bet he’s gone…
rr says
Monroe and Stephenson would be fine, particularly if they are assuming that Love will be off the market.
But the only way to have a shot at Monroe is to offer him a huge deal.
Darren Collison has agreed to 3/16 with Sacramento, which may mean that Thomas is leaving.
rr says
ESPNSteinLine Marc Stein
RT @ramonashelburne: Some doubt now Kobe lands in time to make Laker meeting w/ Melo after time was changed. Going to try to meet Melo later
J C says
Kobe: Let me show you how to win.
Melo: Huh?
Kobe: Oops, sorry, wrong guy.
Let me show you how to shoot every time you touch the ball.
Melo: I already know how to do that.
rr says
For instance, the draft; they couldn’t know what would happen with the first 6 picks, so why comment about our needs or desires
—
Because Vonleh was still on the board. Most people seem to like Randle more, but a few of us don’t.
As to the rest, that is all old news.
rr says
Let’s wait until we have 7 or 8 signed players before we can say we need player A or player B because, as of now, we need everyone…
—
Not quite. The FO has to decide if they are going to try for a re-load with the older big names or go younger with the next group. I think it is pretty obvious that the latter choice is better unless the former involves LeBron James.
jerry says
I really don’t want melo unless lbj comes to lal. If they can’t get lbj, then would rather see them build slowly and methodically. I know they have to appear to be all in or kobe’s last 2 years are totally wasted and he has no chance at another ring in the next year or two. that obviously isn’t going to make kobe happy but he is getting all that money so only so much the fo can do.
I hate when the lakers end up with bad long term contracts and would rather see them make good long term decisions for the lakers.
I’d love to see kobe get another ring but not at the expense of overpaying any player just to make it appear that they are all in.
J C says
By the way Darius
Nice new look for the site on the mobile app.
Looks great!
Renato Afonso says
Let’s stop with that Kendall Marshall in the starting lineup nonsense. He’s terrible…
Rusty Shackleford says
What is wrong with Darren Collison that the Lakers have passed on him 3 times in the past 2 years?
Vasheed says
@James, I will quote the article right above the closing thoughts section.
“At the next level, Randle will match-up against players as bulky as him on a nightly basis, but he’ll face stronger and longer opponents very often, too. No matter how much Randle develops his skills, he’ll always be at a disadvantage because of his short and stocky build.”
I recommend reading the whole article it is pretty good reading. I will likely post some youtube links later tonight which go through this in a few more games with video commentary.
rfen says
I figure the Lakers haven’t done anything yet because they really don’t know where they’re going at this point. Who will sign with them? If they can somehow grab an impact player, it changes everything. If they can’t, then there’s a whole ‘nother balancing act to acquire talent and the right kind of contracts. Who do they envision as the coach for the future? They may have some ideas but want to leave their options open. Sure, there may be slim pickin’s by the time they can make their move, but that’s the price of being in the dependent place they’re at. Things must be about as clear as mud to have a very expensive star who demands excellence, and almost nothing else. Maybe they get lucky, but I suspect they’re going to just have to muddle through this coming season best they can.
James says
Vasheed, I read the whole article. Not convinced, and you don’t need to post videos later. You don’t believe in him but I do. His measurements are right in line with many of the better PFs in the NBA (Love, Griffin etc.).
He had a 40 inch vertical for the Lakers drills, he’s a capable defender just needs to learn the ropes.
Justin says
@ Chris Y, Who was available before? SVG was the only coach I liked and they had zero chance at him (because he was getting GM coach he wouldn’t get with the Lakers). All the other candidate are on par with Bryon, Nate McMillian, George Karl, etc. Doubt JVG comes unless they get Lebron (and as crazy as it sounds I don’t think it is as impossible as it felt yesterday. Lebron is clearly giving Riley a chance but Riley seems to be missing on all his targets: Lowry, Gortat, even Pau. If Riley fails Lebron would probably choose Houston but anything goes in that case). I have zero problem with the Lakers plan. If there was a top tier coach (all employed and they couldn’t get Thibs away from Chicago even though he was clearly their number one choice). I know you and a bunch of other people like whomever as coach, but really they are all second tier coaches so I don’t think it matters. I may be wrong, but I think at this point it is smart to wait until you have an idea of what kind (and level) of players you are going to get and get the coach that fits best.
Justin says
@ Vasheed, I have to agree with James. Definitely just my personal opinion but to me people over rate so many things. Khawi was seen as a guy who couldn’t shoot and had no position. Paul George was seen as a guy with just so so talent. All those experts are wrong all the time (about as often as they are right). And Randle is Oliver Miller. Nothing about his body type says he can’t move (he may not be able to but from the videos I have seen of him and watching a few of his college games tells me he is more athletic than saw David West, Zbo (Who he too often gets compared to), etc. In fact he moves as well as Melo to me in the post which is what makes Melo so impossible to handle in the post. I think he would be too slow to guard wings for any long stretch, but other than Blake Griffin who is really faster than him as a true 4 and capable of being as strong? That’s my opinion of him. I think he will be a good defender but not a big that blocks shots. The Lakers need to pair him with a rim protecting Center. But the same can be said about most power forwards
Eric says
I could get behind the George Karl hire as well, especially considering the names of available coaches left. I have no idea what he is even up to these days, is he not interested in coaching anymore?
On another note I have always defended Carmelo and respected his game but I will be disappointed in him if he doesn’t join the Bulls if he is really about winning over money like he says he is. I do not see how the Knicks can build a title contender around him at his age. If he doesn’t join the Bulls or Rockets I just see him as another money hungry player. I understand the whole “you wouldn’t turn down money either” argument but we have all seen how winning brings crazy endorsements and it’s not like he should be hurting for cash. I understand its easier for me to say that not being in his shoes, but at his age he needs to realize his window is really closing. The Rockets would be a fine option too but I think the Bulls have an overall better supporting cast for their stars Rose and Noah. Honestly I can’t say if I were in his shoes that I would consider LA as an option, no coach, no identity, rebuilding doesn’t look promising even if one of my better friends plays here.
Braziman says
George Karl is a great coach, though it’s hard for me to see how somebody who’s had his heart broken so often by the Lakers (and been public about it) could end up working for this franchise.
Anonymous says
Many folks are concerned that Randle will be over matched against NBA Power Forwards. That would not be a concern if he played the 3. I think as a 19 year old with young legs he can do it. Don’t know why it isn’t brought up more often.
R says
Re: J Randle, I’d like somebody to demonstrate Kup is a poor judge of talent before I second guess who he picked @ #7.
Another option is to wait and see how the young man turns out as a player.
KO says
In response to Renato
If Marshall is in the roster, the Lakers are a 8 to 10 place team.
If he plays 15 minutes a game they are a 30 win team.
If he starts they are a 17 win, tank 2 team and a on-going NBA joke.
So I prey he is playing somewhere they don’t speak English and they think shooting like a girl is cool.
Joshua says
Randle is a crafty player with a great motor. I’ve already voiced my doubts about him, but if he can develop a more reliable jump shot with good range, work on utilizing his right hand more effectively and use his physical tools to become a better defender (not completely unrealistic if he’s a hard worker) he could become a very, very good player. And he seems to be a good kid.
chibi says
IT2 and Born Ready are on the cusp of being all-stars. Monroe, Hayward, and Parsons aren’t even in the conversation.
Robert says
My Byron prediction is a little slow developing. However my statement about the Nets hiring quickly and Rambis to the Knicks have both happened in lightning speed. I wonder if Phil called Jim and said: We have decided to go with Kurt.
Fern says
I dont get why in the hell people bring George (1st round exit) Karl into the conversation, great regular season coach, thas it has coached really good teams in the playoffs that have achieve nothing, he never lacked talent on his teams. He is an old fossil and someone the Lakers should steer clear off. And they are.SMH
Eric says
Fern, typically he has a record of running into really good teams coached by Phil Jackson in the same way as Rick Adelman.
Floating around on twitter by Marc Spears that Farmar may sign with the Clippers and they are the front runner
Robert says
First Fisher, then Rambis, et tu Pau?
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/03/report-carmelo-anthony-wants-to-talk-to-pau-gasol-about-playing-together-with-knicks/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs
rr says
I think the Lakers should get Farmar back on the team. Lowry’s gone; Collison’s gone, Farmar wants to be in LA, and Nash/Marshall/Clarkson is not really an option.
The caveat to this is that they could be going after Isaiah Thomas, but I would still take Farmar as a backup. Farmar played for Blatt in Israel, BTW.
Shaun says
Wonder how much pull the time warner people have with the lakers …theyve been in both the dwight and now melo meetings … what are they telling fas?
Shaun says
I would argue that farmar is better than isiah …. bigger defender …. equal or better shooter …just hasnt been given the mins
bryan S. says
just hasn’t been given the minutes
Or stayed healthy–but I agree really.
Craig W. says
I think the Lakers are in a better position than we are to judge Farmar. If he goes to the Clips, then it will be because the front office didn’t think he was worth what the Clips paid him. Again, it now comes down to how much confidence you have in the Laker front office. Of course, the Clips lost Collison and have a real need at backup PG, therefore, they may overpay. Is that a reason for us to do the same?
sT says
I am tired of the Lakers giving away 1st round draft picks, and overpaying players who never fulfill their destined greatness (non-injured).
Nice mobile app Darius.
rr says
I would argue that farmar is better than isiah
—
That’s a reach, but it is really beside the point I was making. I wasn’t pushing for Thomas in any case. Given that
a) Farmar is 27
b) Local
c) Left a lot of guaranteed money on the table to come back here
d) Wants to be here/won two titles here
e) Is a very competent 2nd-string PG on team that has no PG
f) Is liked by Kobe
I am not seeing a reason not to get him on the team again, unless they have some more high-profile plan on the table for PG–like Thomas.
____
Again, it now comes down to how much confidence you have in the Laker front office
I have seen Farmar for years, and his ability level is pretty well-established. If the FO turns out to have a better idea, that’s fine. But there is no reason to assume that they do. Also, all that stuff you said last spring about the Lakers standing for something, and being about honor etc. should apply to Farmar, for the reasons above, unless his contract demands are outrageous. As to the money, the Clippers paid Collison about 1.9M last year, they have plans for the money they have available now (Paul Pierce) and Farmar’s desire to play in LA is well-known and backed by his actions, so I find it unlikely that they would give him 5 or 6M a year to back up Chris Paul.
J C says
Collison to the kings, hmm.
so Farmar is next on clippers radar.
i always liked Farmar’s game. cocky too.
he’s such a cool guy and was excited to be a Laker.
But it’s obvious his dream of starting at PG for the Lakers probably wasn’t in the cards.
so if he gets paid by the clips, good for him.
Seems like another Matt Barnes situation.
Barnes was more appreciated across the hall.
J C says
Isaiah Thomas’ numbers impress.
rr says
Tweets from a Sacto Kings writer:
Jason Jones @mr_jasonjones · 3h
If Lakers make a competitive offer, it’ll be hard for a West Coast product to say no. Plus he’d get the Kings 4 times a season.
Jason Jones @mr_jasonjones · 3h
I think Isaiah Thomas ends up a Laker. Favorite player growing up was Kobe Bryant.
rr says
MT @Mike_Bresnahan: Lakers went Hollywood for presentation to Melo. Biz team presented short vid done by “The Matrix” producer Joel Silver.
Marlon Brando says
Lakers offering Carmelo a four year contract worth $95 million.
Nova Bahamut says
Lakers offering Melo the max…
hmmmmm
Leo says
Shaun- It means that Melo is a business decision and not a basketball one.
Mike K. says
R said it best: Re: J Randle, I’d like somebody to demonstrate Kup is a poor judge of talent before I second guess who he picked @ #7.
Kup is extremely smart, AND extremely savvy about players and their skills. Can’t fault him for the David Stern conflict-of-interest CP3 rescind back-to-back with Nash tibial fracture at the same time Blake had an abdominal tear.
Kup had exactly one burning question to answer when he watched the tape, got the scouting reports, interviewed and worked out (twice) Randle: can he score against length ? That’s the question. He had Vonleh as an option with a 7’4″ wingspan and good outside shooting if there was any doubt. But he went with Randle, and even stated the reasons why. He said Randle had the competitive juices and that he felt Randle had the ability to face up and shoot it (basically to survive as a stretch 4).
Another thing these articles and criticisms that focus on wingspan don’t mention is athleticism Not only is Randle a very strong leaper, but his lateral movement is very good, as evinced in the combine drills, and by the entire year of his play at Kentucky. He has excellent shuffle-feet. Most of his damage in the paint was because of his quick feet and explosive jumping combined with his upper body power. That’s not something that Love (except for strength) or Blake (except for explosion) have.
Frankly, the combination of power, foot speed, handle (yeah, he needs to work his right…he also need to age about two years to buy a beer), and face up shooting essentially guarantees a floor of Paul Millsap, who is another example of a muscular forward whose offense utilizes a good face up game in order to compensate for size issues in the post. But Randle is much faster and more explosive. So he’s got the chance to learn some post moves, and move into that Griffin-Love territory. The real question is character and intelligence. And I think he has both, and think that’s a big factor for Kup.
If he doesn’t have the brains and character to understand what to focus on, then, yea, he’s probably going to be a decent starter or quality backup… a la DeJuan Blair or someone a little better. But if he can just get: # 1: Work your face up shooting. # 2: Work your right hand. # 3, Spend a summer working post moves to that you can body up defenders and spin away to get off your shot… then he seems to project well north of Millsap, and that’s a great value at #7.
Not saying that’s how it will work out. Just saying that we aren’t the first ones to ask these questions. We are just less informed as we weren’t in the workouts, and we also probably have much worse judgment than the man who answered the questions affirmatively.
rr says
2p%, NCAA:
Randle: .517
Millsap (3 years): .586, .577, .578
rr says
“The exact number of teams to secure face-to-face meetings with Cleveland-based agent Rich Paul was not immediately known, but sources told ESPN.com that the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks have had the opportunity to make presentations to Paul in recent days.
Dan Gilbert, owner of James’ home state Cavaliers, also has met with Paul or will do so soon, a source told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard. Gilbert, who lives in Detroit, is in Cleveland, according to the source.”
_______________
Vasheed says
As promised another video feed of Randle’s bad defense vs Tennesse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-h6SMSDgfA
I’m missing another. Might combine the three later.
AusPhil says
From Chris Broussard:
@ramonashelburne reports that Mitch Kupchak flying to CLE to meet with LeBron’s agent Rich Paul
At least the FO is leaving no stones unturned. Even if it’s a pipe dream, they’re having a swing at it.
bryan S. says
Mike K. : Excellent post. Lots of good points, and none more important than intelligence and character being prime determinants of a prospect reaching their ceiling. By all accounts Randle excels in these areas. I agree with others that if he can play a power three/stretch four position we may have a star in the making.
And I love lateral quickness as an indicator of defensive potential.
KO says
Kamen gone to Portland
Good thing we have Sacre
bryan S. says
At least the FO is leaving no stones unturned.
Is the dream still alive? Has Mitch been encouraged to pursue LBJ by one Carmelo Anthony? Will Aaron once again prove prescient? We’ll know more soon. Maybe.
Shaun says
This offseason is bananas …. now with lebron realistically coming into play for multiple teams things are gonna get crazy …. since we only have 22 mil even if melo/lebron accepted we would need to stretch nash to get to 28ish and then resign pau which gives us a good 4 guy squad … steve blake would likely come back on a discount since his house is still here and I guess we could sign 1 other guy with the mid-level exception …prolly hill and then all other min guys … maybe bynum, farmar ….. we would be good again assuming randle becomes a stud …. do we still have our bi-annual exception?
If we get one of melo or lebron its gonna be nuts …..if pheonix pulls off getting lebron and melo while keeping bledsoe, dragic, and frye its gonna be coconuts
I think the possible ace in the hole for the lakers is that in giving kobe money so late in his career and the fact that they out earn every team in the league by either 2X (knicks) – infinty X (any team losing money) , it signals that we could give them a huge contract in 2 years when the whole cap explodes and thay we will always field a competitive team and dont give a shit about the tax unlike the bulls, pheonix, heat
No way nash doesnt get stretched this summer … do we have a deadlibe to do that?
James says
Vasheed, mental lapses and effort plays once again. You aren’t convincing me, all correctable issues.