Los Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn NetsSun Mar 29, 3:30 PM EST – YES, TWSN, C+D Line: BKN -6.5, O/U: 200.0 Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY Recent Matchups |
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I would not blame you if some of the games in the NCAA tournament took on a greater importance to you than some of these Lakers’ games. On Saturday night, Kentucky played Notre Dame in a game that came down to the final seconds with Kentucky pulling out the win at the end. Coach Cal’s Wildcats feature at least three top prospects and a couple of big men (Karl Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein) who could help the Lakers next season (assuming LA’s top 5 pick is retained), so watching how they do under the bright lights of the tourney might be a better use of your time than this incarnation of the Lakers.
That might sound harsh, but it’s true. The Lakers are in the final stretch of a brutal season, a season that has teams feeling pretty bad after losses and after wins. Blame the system, blame the pick protection, blame whatever you want, but the fact is watching this team play is one of the least enjoyable things to do right now. The game’s only meaning, from a win-loss standpoint, are to gauge how they affect keeping the draft pick — a pick that may not even pan out, even though we currently find ourselves lusting for it. The entire thing leaves me feeling hollow and, honestly, just sad.
Meanwhile, there is a different type of meaning attached to these games for the Lakers’ opponents. Friday’s game against the Raptors was about a struggling Eastern playoff team finding its rhythm and trying to maintain home court advantage in the first round. Today’s game has the Brooklyn Nets trying to get into the second season over these final few weeks of the season. The Nets currently reside in 9th place in the conference, only a half game out of 8th behind the Boston Celtics. The Nets should especially want to make the playoffs since they truly have little incentive to lose in terms of their draft pick. As part of the Joe Johnson trade with the Hawks, Atlanta has the right to swap picks with Brooklyn, making it within the realm of possibility that the Nets end up with pick in late 20’s while the Hawks add a lottery pick this June.
With that, the Nets have been making a push in the last couple of weeks, finally starting to play a style that is conducive to winning. It helps that they’re healthier than they have been most of the year, but it also helps that Brook Lopez is again resembling the big man who, just a couple of seasons ago, was considered one of the elite scoring big men in the league. Add to that the steady Johnson, an improved Deron Williams (who was looking quite washed up earlier in the year) and the Nets have enough a talent base to be competitive.
As for this game, then, the key match ups will be Lopez against the Black, Sacre, Davis trio and whether Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin can match buckets with Williams and Johnson. My gut tells me that the Nets win out in these battles (especially with how Lopez has been playing of late), but the alternative would not surprise me. Those specific Lakers, though it’s done little to earn wins, have been playing quite well since the all-star break and have held their own in most match ups and, in turn, kept games close. If today’s game comes down to the final minutes — as many others have in the past month — anything can happen.
Where you can watch: 12:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM Los Angeles.
karen says
darius serano the columinst says its miserable watching lakers play for lottery picks. The lakers choose to play this way. It is total fraud and everyone just looks the other way. Many a game could have been won with the right combinations of players. The nba has got to do something about teams shafting paid customers who show up hoping for a good game
Darius Soriano says
Karen,
*Soriano. Thanks. Hahahaha.
Chris J says
It is sad when we would rather do any of a thousand other things than watch the Lakers during the NBA’s playoff stretch run. I’m watching preseason baseball today.
No one reasonable should be hoping for more at this season, but it’s imperative the front office gets things right this summer. I, and “we” if I can speak for other fans, aren’t going to accept a third straight lost season. I can live, however, with a season in which they’re not good but are getting better — I cannot accept another wasted year on veterans brought in merely as roster fodder, taking minutes at the expense of guys who have a potential future in L.A.
If they nail the lottery pick, and do right with the Rockets pick, that should mean we’ll see four younger guys (w/ Clarkson and Randle) next year, hopefully all of whom will play a role in the return to relevance.
Robert says
Chris J: You are very likely to get your wish. Barring another injury barrage or a major deal (where we trade out the picks), we will indeed have the 4 young guys. So at least there will be something to root for with regard to the long term. However we will “probably” not know whether we are really on the right path for another year or two. Some guys develop faster than others, etc.. We do need to nail the pick and do reasonably well with the other pick. Something to think about in terms of expectations for the picks (especially the Houston pick): Going into this year, the Lakers had 7 guys on the roster who were picked in the top 16 of their respective year. Wesley Johnson was a 4th overall pick an Jordan Hill was #8. Drafting is like voting. There is no guarantee that the guy you pick will workout. Which is why you need to do both “early and often”. For at least one pick we “should” have the early part covered, however we will not be doing the often part (hence – as you state – we need to nail the limited picks we have). However whether the year is productive or wasted will not be “fully” known for a while.
Joel says
Ed Davis is being rested? Seriously? A 25-year-old who plays 23 minutes a game, on a lottery team?
Jesus wept.
rr says
The only thing left for the Lakers is finishing with a worse record than Orlando, so sitting Lin and Davis is, actually, a good idea.
Chris J says
@ Robert — You’re totally correct — being young, or young and a high pick, is no measure of long-term success. And it will take time for young guys to develop and show what they’re made of. But at least it would be nice to see a roster with some guys who have upside, rather than known quantities who have likely (or definitely) reached their career peaks and begun their inevitable downslide.
The 1994-95 Lakers weren’t a great team — they probably overachieved by making the second round that spring. But those who recall watching that team remember the sense of seeing young talent that put the team on the path to its next great era: Nick Van Excel, Anthony Peeler, Eddie Jones, even Vlade, the lone holdover from the (original) Magic era. And even though none of those guys were on the roster at the time the Lakers would next capture a title, their presence was critically important to what came later, for two key reasons: the “Lake Show” was just good enough, just competitive enough and definitely entertaining enough to keep fans interested, and perhaps more importantly to draw the interest of some key free agents, specifically Shaq and Rick Fox, who’d later play roles in championship teams. The second critical piece was many of those young assets became trade pieces in landing other key players, guys like Kobe and Rice, who also started on championship teams.
Whether Clarkson or Randle or 2015 picks A and B wind up on the Van Exel/Jones side of the title window, or the Shaq/Kobe side, it really doesn’t matter. I just want to see the Lakers putting some usable building blocks on the roster, starting this summer.
I’ll watch an actual rebuild with great interest; this and last season felt more like purgatory time-killing, and no one wants to be a part of that again.
Berdj Joseph Rassam says
Lakers at the Nets – I pick the Nets.
bryan S. says
rr: Exactly! That’s it! Let’s hope neither Lin nor Davis play tomorrow. It’s going to be tough to out tank Orlando. Tomorrow is a big game against the elite tanking Sixers. Also going to be tough to pull that off. Even more overt tanking may be required than benching the aforementioned players. I suggest short minutes for Hill and Black to play crunch minutes if it is close.
rr says
Chris J–
I sent Robert an email today comparing the present situation to where the Lakers were in 1992. But we don’t have Jerry West in the FO this time, and it is a different era, so we will see.
Mid-Wilshire says
If the Lakers end up with, say, the 5th pick in the draft, I would very much like to see them take Willie Cauley-Stein, a legitimate 7-footer who may be the best defender in college and who actually played wide receiver on his High School football team(!). If anything was immediately apparent in today’s game against Brooklyn, it’s that the Lakers have NO rim protector. (That, of course, is not exactly a news flash.) Brook Lopez must have felt like a kid in a candy shop going against our beloved Lakers. I honestly think that Cauley-Stein would have put up some solid resistance against Lopez. And unlike Karl-Anthony Towns, he seems to know how to play defense without fouling. He would be an excellent #5 pick IMO. I think he’s ready for the NBA.
But since we don’t know where (or if) the Lakers will be selecting among the top 5 picks, I’ve been trying to focus on players that might be available as the #26 or 27 draft picks (the Lakers’ draft pick from Houston in the Jeremy Lin trade). There are several who could be intriguing. (A reminder: the Lakers will also have their own #33-34 draft pick as well). Here are a few that I find intriguing to add to those that I’ve mentioned before (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Delon Wright, et. al.):
KRIS DUNN, 21 Y.O. PG from Providence, 6-3, 205
15.6 ppg
47.4% – FGs
35.1% – 3-pt. range
69.6% FTs
5.5 rebounds / game
7.5 assists / game (2nd in the nation) vs. 4.2 TOs
2.7 steals
.3 blocks
GARY PAYTON II, 22 y.o. PG from Oregon State, 6-3, 175 (son of former NBAer, Gary Payton)
13.4 ppg
48.5% – FGs
29.3% – 3-pt. range
66.3% – FTs
7.5 rebounds
3.2 assists vs. 1.1 TOs
3.1 steals
1.2 blocks
BRANDEN DAWSON, 22 y. o. SF, Michigan State, 6-6, 225
11.4 ppg
54.6% – FGs
49.5% FTs (65.6% the previous year)
9.1 rebounds
1.8 assists
1.8 TOs
1.2 steals
1.6 blocks
I like Dawson’s toughness and his defense. He has a Power Forward’s mind set in a SF’s body. He’ll go in the 2nd round but he could be something of a steal. Gary Payton II is a remarkable athlete. His stats for a guard are those you might expect from a forward: 7.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 blocks, 3.1 steals. He’s not a great shooter but he can score. He’s very intriguing, I think.
Finally, Kris Dunn could be the best of the 3. He has excellent size and has an NBA-ready body at the age of 21. His 7.5 assists per game were 2nd in the NCAA this last year. He can score (15.6 ppg) and he has great hands (2.7 steals per game). He even rebounds well. His TOs are entirely too high, though. Once he cleans up that part of his game, he could really be something.
This draft, I sense, could be in some ways deeper than last years (which was over-touted in my opinion). One thing for certain, if Jordan Clarkson can be found at the #46 slot, surely the Lakers can find a solid contributor at the #26 position.
Time will tell. All we can do is hope.
It’s been a long season. The Lakers deserve a break (or two).
Aaron says
Remember the reason the Lakers could seduce Shaq was because they put together a good young team with great draft choices. We are going to try and do the same thing again. Luckily the team could trade Vlade and company to clear cap space. Now the Lakers can’t do that. The salaries have to match. So they can’t afford to sign players that are not worth their contracts.
Chris J says
To Aaron and rr’s points — that’s exactly why this coming draft is so critical. Lacking a Jerry West is never an advantage, but we can hope Mitch & Co. can nail the picks to set the Lakers up for years to come. I agree with Aaron in that the presence of young assets is critical. That said, young talent will (hopefully) not be the Lakers’ only selling points when recruiting free agents.
As solid a young core as exists now in Utah and Minnesota, for example, if the Lakers can put together a core that’s remotely close to those rosters, you’d have to believe many players would still choose L.A. for the lifestyle it offers, the history, big market, etc.
I don’t believe those ancillary benefits are enough on their own — recent years have proven as much (Howard bolting, Anthony choosing NYC). But put the sunshine and history toegther with a chance to win and make top dollar, and then the mix is hopefully in the Lakers’ favor. Players seldom choose a Philly or Boston; all things being equal, they often look to Texas, Florida and California and Phoenix.
But it all starts with drafting well, as I think we all agree.
I’m more bullish on Randle than rr, and Clarkson has been a nice surprise. The FO needs to do like it did before, finding contributing youngsters like it did with Bynum, and to a lesser extent Sasha and Farmar… Every piece adds up.
gene says
If last year’s draft was done over Clarkson may have been a Lottery Choice.With that in mind…You add Randle and Clarkson to next Draft’s Lottery and you have 3 Lottery Pick talent to built with…
rr says
Just for the record:
Lakers traded a first-rounder for Cedric Ceballos when 24 years old. PHX took Michael Finley with that pick.
1989 Vlade Divac (27)
1990 Elden Campbell (26)
1992 Anthony Peeler (15)
1993 George Lynch (12) Nick Van Exel (37)
1994 Eddie Jones (10)
1996 Derek Fisher (24)
Chris J says
Jerry West was a wizard…
Landing Vlade with the last pick in Round One gave L.A. its starting center for the post-Kareem era, and the key trade piece that would ultimately land Kobe after seven years of solid production from Divac.
Campbell had a decent career, lasting more than a decade and even earning a ring in 2004, as a member of the Pistons’ bench that season.
Peeler and Lynch were OK choices; productive roll players for a number of seasons. Getting Van Exel in Round 2 was one of West’s best moves ever — I recall reading one publication that had him as the Lakers’ projected First Round choice that year, but off-court questions made GMs scared. He gave the Lake Show its swagger.
Eddie was another great pick at No. 10, a guy who was later packaged with Campbell to land Glen Rice. And getting Ceballos in fall ’94 made a good young team into a playoff team, as he immediately became an All-Star in L.A. Fish’s career needs no recap.
Just an amazing run as GM…
CHearn says
George Lynch was a good pick for the Lakers, albeit undersized for that position. Nick the Qick was also, Shaq didn’t like hi so he had to go.
Aaron says
I wrote an article for ball don’t lie 😉 Enjoy…
“Again, we know the Lakers are rebuilding and tanking the season in order to ensure that they have the best odds in place to keep their lottery pick, but we don’t know just how big a role the team’s hiring of Byron Scott has to do with this. The team’s brain trust knew that 2014-15 was going to be a wash when major free agents turned down the Lakers’ max deals and the opportunity to play alongside Kobe Bryant last summer, but is Scott secretly part of his tanking plan? Is hiring Byron Scott, who infamously eschews three-pointers while presiding over some of the NBA’s worst defensive teams over his last four seasons as coach, the sideline version of signing Carlos Boozer?
Are we giving the Lakers’ front office too much credit, as they wait out this season and 2015-16 (likely Bryant’s final year) while gobbling up high draft picks and cap space?”
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/byron-scott-swears-opposing-players-have-approached-him-about-becoming-lakers-201342597.html
Hale says
Lin out tonight w/ a “cold” (upper respiratory infection). Here’s hoping he didn’t wash his hands before high 5-iving Hill, Clarkson and Boozer.
Calvin Chang says
I wonder what devious Sam Hinkie has in store for the Lakers tonight. Knowing what’s at stake, he might have Nerlens with a DNP tonight. DNP-Tank