The Lakers made LaMarcus Aldridge their top free agent target. They set up a meeting with him right at the opening of free agency, used social media as a tool to express their desire to have him sign (#LAtoLA), and brought in their full crew of basketball and off-court team to the pitch meeting to go over every possible angle of what being a Laker for the next four years would mean.
Despite this full court press, it is being reported Aldridge will not sign with the Lakers:
LaMarcus Aldridge will not be joining the Lakers, The Times has learned. They were a 50-50 choice but he disliked bball part of presentation
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 1, 2015
The fact it was, supposedly, a “50-50 choice” is somewhat encouraging on the surface and should not be totally disregarded. The Lakers were a bad team last season. Beyond Kobe Bryant, they currently only have Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly, and Nick Young under contract. Yes, they have all-rookie 1st teamer Jordan Clarkson and just drafted D’Angelo Russell (and Larry Nance Jr.), but overall he would be joining a team with a legend who doesn’t have a lot of time left in the league and several young, unproven players who are not on the same timeline as him to win now.
Choosing not to sign with the Lakers should not be a surprise, then. In saying, that, though, none of the reasons stated above are actually being reported as the reasons he is choosing a different team:
Aldridge was floored in a good way by Houston's analytics, on-court projections in their presentation. Not so with the Lakers.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 1, 2015
More LMA: He and Kobe didn't quite gel. It's a little vague, but Aldridge apparently didn't quite get answers from Kobe he was seeking.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 1, 2015
As @Mike_Bresnahan says, Aldridge felt too much of Lakers presentation focused on outside opportunities; wanted clearer, better b-ball focus
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2015
Oh. Okay.
Let’s try to unpack this a bit more since you can only glean so much from 140 characters.
I’ve no clue if what’s being reported here is a shot at the Lakers’ talent level, an implied lack of analytics driven data to maximize him as a player, a perceived lack of strong coaching, something entirely different or a combination of all the above. What I do know, however, is that it’s not a great look for the Lakers. At some point, perceptions do become reality and if the team is consistently trying to sell something besides basketball and it comes at the expense of basketball, that is not likely to make a great impression.
Further, the idea — subtle or not — that Kobe could be seen as some sort of obstacle towards bringing in a talented player is…worrisome. Again, we do not know all (any?) of the facts here. None of us were in the room and the tweet above mentions outright the vagueness of what led to that lack of connection between Kobe and Aldridge. But, on the heels of Dwight leaving (no matter your feelings about Howard as a player, teammate, or anything else, the Lakers wanted him back) and Kobe’s reported role in greasing the wheels of that exit, the above is something worth taking note of. Not worth putting all the emphasis on, just as an additional talking point.
Ultimately, maybe all of this is a bit unfair. The Lakers have been a bad team for two consecutive years. Last year they won 21 games. They have a roster of mostly unknown, unproven players and Aldridge — who is 30 — is trying to win now. The Spurs (the presumed front-runner) won the title the season before last, just signed the MVP of that Finals series for five more years, brought back Danny Green, and also still have Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili. If we’re looking at rosters and the money is even close to the same, this ins’t really a choice. The fact the Lakers were in this at all, again, is somewhat encouraging.
But that nagging feeling the Lakers don’t have it together persists. Even if that’s not true (or fair), perception is starting to shift that way. So, while I can say with a straight face that I am not really heartbroken over Aldridge not signing — especially when his fit on the roster is not ideal — the reasons why he made this choice do cause a bit of concern. Not because we should take the reports above as 100% accurate, but because they contribute to a perception which is shifting more and more towards unflattering about the Lakers.
Busboys4me says
This is further evidence that the Lakers are not current with the times. They need to get their organization more in line with the new analytics. Basketball has moved forward, the Lakers need to also.
Adam says
They need to also throw Upshaw is there is he makes it past the summer league and make this a true rebuild and accept Kobe is not the center. I am sorry, 24mil a year for Kobe to proclaim his value and make him the center piece during this rebuild seems unrealistic
Anonymous says
Why is Kobe involved in the interviews? Not a very good idea.
beyondblue says
Disappointing, for sure. But definitely not unfair to question the perception of the Lakers current regime. If all those negatives (young team that has lost recently) were major factors, they do not get a meeting, and they do not get the first meeting.
Also, it’s hard to reconcile that Dwight chose HOU, and LMA was impressed by HOU and question if the perception is unfair. More and more, it seems the league looks at the Lakers like Dinosaurs, and the meteor is coming.
As for Kobe, I don’t know what to think of that. It also seems to be the prevailing opinion around the league: stars do not want to play with Kobe. If true, the path to relevancy has been extended.
Gian says
Nicely written. The whole perception that players don’t want to play for the Lakers ( whether it’s Kobe or management’s fault) is getting worse. Maybe when we’ll get them when Kobe retires.
Jonathan says
Darius, please tell me the lakers aren’t going to go into panic mode and mortgage their young talent for a guy like cousins. I have this sick feeling in my stomach that they’re going to try and deal Russell and posibly randle for cousins. I would be heat broken if this comes to pass. Why not ride with the young guys we have and continue to build something of our own. All three have major upside imo. I’m just not sure the lakers FO is will to wait.
Anonymous says
Kobe wants to be the man that saves the town but he is getting old. Start playing team ball. On another note, the Lakers need to sign other free agents and stop wasting time on one player like last year.
chj says
Who’s in charge of the Lakers recruiting message? Is it Mitch or Jeanie or Jim? I’d be very surprised if it was Mitch’s or Jim’s decision to focus the messaging on off-court opportunities. That sounds like something that would more likely come from Jeanie’s camp. Also, the social media campaign (#LAtoLA) felt a bit desperate. These also contribute to the shifting perception of the Lakers franchise. If Jeanie is the one responsible for formulating the messaging, then she needs to take responsibility the way that Jim did.
T. Rogers says
“Ultimately, maybe all of this is a bit unfair.”
—
Darius,
You are not being unfair at all. Because none of us were in the room all we can go on are results and the little feedback that is offered after the fact. We do know that the Lakers couldn’t woo LaMarcus. We also know that similar to last year’s sales pitch to Carmelo the Lakers put a lot of emphasis on non- basketball things. And in both cases the respective free agents passed.
The Lakers need to get it understood that Los Angeles as a city doesn’t need to be sold. A great number of players have homes here. Aldridge himself has one in Orange County. The beach and the weather have already sold themselves. Thirty year old free agents leaving 50 win teams want to hear about basketball not Hollywood.
Maybe coming up short two years in a row will get the message through.
tankyou says
Silver Lining, Top 3 pick next year is looking more and more a real possibility for us.
Kobe sitting in on recruiting at this point seems silly, and LA seems to oversell the ‘Glam’ effect of the town rather than the hoops aspect. That points more to the fact that the basketball team is on uncertain ground.
More good news, Kobe, Clarkson, Russell can just chuck it up there all season long with no real pressure of having to win. Byron Scott can continue his decade long “pass” as being a decent coach since the talent will be so young/unproven no one could expect him to do much anyway. Bad news, the team sucking arse again for another year is not going to be a big selling point for 2016–guys like KD who will want to win titles, aren’t going to look at LA’s track record and be very excited.
More good news, we can experiment as Kelly more as our future stretch 4. Randle can try out at the 3 b/c who really gives a crap anyway we are going to suck. Sacre can learn to dominate the boards. No one has to play defense since no one really can play defense much anyway. Byron Scott can feel good spending another season calling his team soft and weak and other attacks on their manliness. Huzzah, hope next years top 3 pick ends up being pretty good.
Paul says
This is OK. We don’t need old men who want to have “fun” making it to the semis every year or who want to latch on, with no pressure to play outside of themselves, to a championship contender as the second or third option. We need winners who play with heart and will give it their all and go the extra mile to “make” the team a winner. I think there is that potential in many of our younger players and we should continue trying to find players like that.
Darius Soriano says
TRogers,
One of the reasons I said that it all may be unfair is that the Lakers don’t necessarily have a lot to sell from a basketball side. If they had a great roster, I’m sure they would emphasize that. They need to get back to building a better roster and this is why I proposed, in previous posts, the Lakers going after role players who could help elevate the talent base to make themselves more appealing to top FA’s.
rr says
When Mid-Wilshire graciously suggested that I and others respond to his 5-on-5 questions awhile back, I said this:
2. Reboot the organizational image. Scott, Kobe, Mitch, and the Buss Kids all have two things in common: they are the faces of the Lakers, and they are all seen by many as being, among other things, quaint, dated, out of step, behind the times. The Lakers need to do stuff to give the impression that they are cool and with-it again, that they have gravitas again, and also that they understand and use the new data and information about the game. Whether that can happen without Jim stepping down, Byron getting fired, and Mitch retiring is an open question.
And you can add Kobe retiring to that list.
The other issue here is that Aldridge should not have been the #1 target to begin with. Yes, he is better than Greg Monroe–but Monroe is 25, and Aldridge is 30. The Lakers need guys who are young enough to grow with Russell and Randle. That doesn’t mean Monroe per se–but guys around that age and younger.
Ryan Mitchell says
The most (only?) concerning part of this report is the assertion that the Lakers lack the analytic information that the majority of NBA teams are now implementing. This is not the first time this has been brought up. It’s the only point that speaks to the “Lakers continue to live in the past” argument. This perception needs adjusting.
Justin says
Yeah it feels like the Lakers tried to sell LMA on how much money he could make (I understand it was tough to sell him on the basketball side when you won twenty something games last year). For all this talk of brands, players these days seem to care more about winning and being on a winning team. And I think this speaks volumes on the Lakers analytics. ESPN had them in the bottom three and LMA was wowed by Houston’s analytics. Kind of confirms that the Lakers need to go much further in analytics. Too many brilliant math guys living in LA not to have a team of them, or listen to them (if they have them). I am worried we might be stuck in the past. Oddly enough I have heard that Jim Buss is the guy wanting to go more in the analytical department. Could Mitch actually be holding them back. That is weird to write.
Rob D says
Lakers aren’t a popular destination because they are a lottery team. Full stop. EVerything else is an excuse or talking point that players and agents throw around on their way out of the city to the airport..lol I hope they can get better this offseason but there’s not much chance of them getting signicantly better to the point where we are talking playoffs. Just too many holes. But I believe they are going in the right direction. One more year of pain though..and most likely a lost first rounder.
Phil says
We want deandre jordan
rr says
The KBros have used the infrastructure term a lot as well. The Lakers need to build the roster from the bottom and middle right now. They can worry more about the top when Kobe is off the books.
St says
Silver lining really is Julius Randle’s development will be at full speed.. Can’t imagine them playing alongside each other with defense not on either’s calling card. Just do better with DJ, if still doesn’t pan out, hope that Robert upshaw becomes the man that the bleacher report article suggests, “steal”… Randle and Russell will completely be transformed with 1yr of NBA experience under their belt.. i’d rather go through the long but rewarding process developing young, but own talents… hey, i’m lucky enough to have seen 5 title runs already in my lifetime, i wouldn’t mind waiting for a couple more years… Other teams’ fans will never get the chance to say the same…
Anon says
My concern here is over going hard after LA when it seems Deandre and Monroe may be a better fit for the short and long term.
EDIT: Having said the above, I still think they are both long shots as I think Deandre is more inclined to go to Dallas as his hometown and Monroe may just chase after the biggest payday he can get – and this is not in our best interest. In short, I’m OK if we get no marquee guys this offseason. Kobe’s contract comes off the books next year.
Matt R. says
For those who are upset by the Kobe presentation commentary, Matt Moore wrote a good piece on it: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25230694/lakers-reportedly-out-of-the-running-for-lamarcus-aldridge
Personally, I think Darius nailed the biggest issue: this isn’t a good team. Maybe LMA gave the Lakers a look because he wanted to see if they were going to say that they’re pulling some blockbuster trade. Maybe he just wanted to make the threat of signing with LA real. In the end, I’m having a hard time seeing what would bring a top-tier FA staring at the upcoming end of their career here.
I still think the idea of getting functional complimentary pieces (a Robin Lopez here, a Wayne Ellington there) for a good foundation is going to be a fine strategy for the Lakers this year.
Remember, after Magic retired we went 5 years before we got Shaq as the big FA splash. FIVE YEARS. And by that point the team was getting a parade of playoff exits. In other words good, but not great. We’re not even good-ish.
And that only gets us to 1996. We didn’t win a title for another 4 years. That’s 9 years to complete the rebuild. We’re in year 2.
DieTryin says
Darius congrats on a very balanced piece. But I am much more concerned with the implications of the meeting than I am with the fact that we missed on LA. We seem to be really good a shooting ourselves in the foot. And it APPEARS that Kobe at these meetings is NOT a plus
R says
I’ve thought for quite a while now that the rebuild really and truly starts when Kobe leaves the scene.
Nothing I’ve been hearing changes my mind.
And you know what, it’s not really his fault. How could it be otherwise, given his drive and perhaps his delusion that he still has something in the tank? What has made him great in the past now makes him a boat anchor, basically.
I don’t think any alpha dogs are coming to the Lakers until the biggest alpha of all is out of there.
rr says
Lakers aren’t a popular destination because they are a lottery team. Full stop.
—
Sure, but then Aldridge’s handlers could have said, “Lakers were awesome in the room, but we decided to go with a team that has a closer window. And Kobe was great. We are just going a different direction.”
They didn’t.
R says
… it’s gonna be rough sledding for awhile. As has been pointed out, the CBA doesn’t allow teams like the Lakers to out bid other teams. On the contrary, the incumbent teams have a built in advantage.
Silver was bragging about how two small market teams met in the Finals (never mind its highly questionable how “small” of a market the SF Bay Area is). That’s the idea, one of the objectives of the latest CBA.
Most likely scenario for the Lakers: no first round pick in 2016, a first round pick in 2017, no first round pick in 2018. Then, finally, the Nash and Coward rentals are paid off.
Reed says
I too am deeply disappointed about losing Aldridge, as I allowed myself to hope (surely irrationally) that we could turbo-kick-start our rebuild through adding Aldridge plus a solid center this offseason, and thereby have a balanced and talented roster. The truth, of course, is that the team is not ready to be “good” in any meaningful way, and this next year should be devoted to two things: (1) developing our young studs, and (2) allowing Kobe to finish his career on his terms.
Now a word on the second point. Kobe is getting unfairly raked for the Aldridge pitch. But let’s step back here and really think about the end of Kobe’s career. I’ll be the first one to recognize that Kobe has not been a “perfect” player to invest in as a fan — he’s not squeaky clean and always saying and doing the perfect things like Duncan — and he’s surely had a few intensely rough moments that have affected the team’s success. But he is also Kobe Bryant, and he treated us to almost two decades of being, for the most part, THE team in the NBA. Endless rings, finals appearances, long playoff pushes, demolitions of hated opponents, brilliant individual performance, etc., etc. And, for all his warts, he has absolutely brought it night in and night out. I can’t imagine an athlete that would be more “interesting” for a fan to attach him/herself to for 20 years, as I’ve been attached to him. He’s simply offered endless moments of basketball nirvana — moments of winning, dominance, and heroism that fans of 26-27 other teams have never experienced.
Given all this, I believe that Kobe has earned the right to go out on his own terms, and we, as Laker fans, owe him that support. Yes his contract has been a stumbling block to efficiently rebuilding, and he’s probably made it difficult to sign other stars, but that’s ok. If this is his last season, then he deserves every cent the Lakers can legally pay him, and our undivided devotion for providing so many perfect basketball memories. This next season needs to be about celebrating the end of his career, and watching him hand the torch, for good, to Russell/Randle/Clarkson. Then, and only then, can the team move on with building a new team, around new foundation pieces, with a clean cap and no personality/ego wrangling.
Let’s remember how blessed we’ve been as Laker fans, stay patient, enjoy Russell and Randle’s rookie years, and let Kobe ride into the sunset on his own terms. And let’s stop worrying about whether we get this or that star this summer. We got Shaq and Gasol and whoever we wanted for the last 10 years, and it was glorious, and those times will come again. But let’s not let the joy of Kobe finishing his career and Russell starting his get diminished one degree by the purported “failure” to not sign an Aldridge or a Love. That would be shortsighted.
–Reed
rr says
A Reed sighting. Wow. One of the best posters at FBG ever.
I don’t blame KB for being KB so much–but I absolutely blame the FO for giving him the deal.
GoldenPurp says
We don’t need Aldridge. He’s never won anything other than a first round series. We don’t need any soft players. Mitch we need to go after draymond max the man out yeeeaa
bruceLEO says
Patience for 1 more year and not making playoffs seems what is playing out . Hopefully no injuries as serious as last years snake bitten year will make this promising yet unproven team interesting and exciting. Please dont panic trade for DMC n give the kids a chance! Goodluck ! Thanks for the post!
macster says
Not surprised nor am I alarmed. This is not the place for every one, you need to be secure with yourself. The lights are very bright here and the expectations are higher. It’s funny though that it hasn’t been mentioned how loyal the Lakers are to their stars. Look around and you can them attached to the organization in one way or another. Dare we forgot, the Lakers gave Kobe the big contract when he was not worth it (Just speaking in the figurative sense). Compare that with DWade and the Miami Heat situation I’m okay with this, lets just build the monster right with good quality parts and he will be fine.
M~
T. Rogers says
The Lakers may need a new face and some fresh thinking in the front office.
Aaron says
The best play as I’ve long said is to tank one more year. I would be okay with Jordan and Jordan only because of his okay age and position. But the best play is to tank one more year and show off all your young cheap talent to attract four max free agents in the next two summers.
The Lakers are smart until proven stupid. They won’t throw away good money on role players. Role players don’t attract star free agents. Star free agents attract role players. So the KBros and Darius can think it’s better to spend half the cap on role players and then try and attract one or two free agents. But it makes much more sense to draft star players to attract four max star players and then find the best fits around your superstar and star players. It just makes more sense on almost every level.
Shaun says
If we whiff we should max out green just to mess with gs’s cap …. make other teams pay crazy bills and see how they like it when they built the thing to punish the lakers
Bill2 says
What kind of deal we could give to draymond green makes warriors hard to swallow?
Shaun says
Brandon wright should fire his agent … 3 yrs 18mil to memphis … steal for memphis … once dallas missed out on DJ they probably would have paid him 10mil plus per year to sign with them
Missed out on another 3rd option
Once RLopez goes and Monroe goes if we dont get either we are essentially thw same team as last year if we can hopefully sign hill or davis …. if we whiff on them too
… we will be much worse
Both Monroe and Rlopez are gonna get max deals …. lakers and knicks cant afford to miss on everyone …. only 2 big guys left
Shaun says
We could middle load the contract for mext year with a bigger payment so that the tax for him is like 30-40mil
Nick says
In a social media driven world, the media exposure of Los Angeles, alone, isn’t what it used to be. Honestly don’t blame the guy coming off of the season we had last year.
Simply amazing the run San Antonio has put together over the past 20 years in counting.
All is not lost, Monroe and Tobias Harris would be fantastic additions.
Ps. So much for Jimmy Buttoer’s PR stunt haha
Keno says
Lakers dumped West because he could not get along with Phil. Dumped Phil because he could not get alongvwith Jimmy! No one wants to play with this clown act.
BigCitySid says
– Glad to see we have a few realist here. So far, no bum team has rec’d a verbal commitment. Guys who are being targeted this early in the process are the cream of the crop (at least in the eyes of those making the pitches). I mean why would a player who has options, sign w/ a bad lottery team (as opposed to a lottery team on the verge, like the Suns). Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, Kings, etc will have to aim lower (2nd/3rd tier FA’s) this season. At least that’s what it looks like at this point.
– As far as a bottom three place finish this upcoming season, sorry, that’s not happening. They’ll beat out the Sixers, Knicks, Magic, and a couple of teams in the West…and that’s all it’s takes and it’s what I’m hoping for. Definitely don’t want to go thru another 50 loss season.
– Lakers have lived with Kobe, and now they are dying w/ Kobe…no more, no less.
Hale says
I don’t know how many wins Aldridge could have added to the 2015-16 season but I am sick of this Al Davis long ball every beginning of free agency. Every available free agent isn’t Shaquille O’Neal so don’t treat them all like they are. It stinks of cluelessness and desperation. Identifying then targeting glue guys would be far more impressive and help avoid the annual roster churn.
L.A. sells itself. Hell, that’s why the Lakers moved from Minnesota. Will the next presentation to some dude who couldn’t carry his team out of the first round repeatedly feature the wonders of Netscape Navigator? Oh, how’s pulling Pau’s chain for years working out for you now, F.O.?
Lopez, Wright (gone), Koufos, etc. That’s who I’m looking for at the 5. Not one of the top tier guys free agents this year are a guarantee to grab the 6 spot for the the playoffs. (I mean the ones who actually are considering leaving their teams. Not Gasol, Duncan, et al)
bluehill says
As several others have mentioned, I think we need to get the back of the house in order and start looking like a professionally run rather than a family run business. Jim vs. Jeanie vs Mitch doesn’t paint a picture of stability nor does two all-star players leaving for less money. And the perception of playing second-fiddle to Kobe rightly or wrongly makes it even worse. This is a different generation of players and agents and social media means that it doesn’t matter where you play as long as you win, you can be a star.
If the leaks about the meeting are even somewhat true, then FO/ownership seems to have misread want Aldridge was after. Portland could pay him the most money (right?), so maybe money wasn’t the primary driver. Then again, I guess you have to play the hand you’re dealt.
AusPhil says
Spurs send Splitter to ATL – they’ll definitely have the cash to grab LMA if he wants to go there.
As others are preaching, it has to be a patient offseason. It’s hard watching other teams snapping up FAs left & right, but LA can’t just spend money for the sake of it. Talk to the younger FAs (Monroe, DAJ, etc.), and try to fill needs. And hopefully get Ed Davis back.
And yes, Memphis stole Brandan Wright at that price.
14.1 says
Funny how excited we all were the past couple of days hoping and dreaming about all-stars signings with reports about every big time FA meeting with the Lakers and the team having a chance as if we are serious contenders. Today we slide back into our pre-draft depressive state and face the reality that this is a team rebuilding with some young prospects with potential (mostly unproven – only Clarkson, but will wait and see if he hits the proverbial sophomore wall) and will be going through a 2 yr development phase before even possibly sniffing title contention in the third year if we are lucky. We fans are somewhat manic-depressive in our fandom. The sky is not falling.
Oldtimer says
I say patience, it is not over yet. Sometimes, we rely too much on rumors and accept them as facts of life. Don’t let other define you but stay clear on the prize and keep on batting. If Plan A didn’t work it is not the end of the world.
Secondly, no need to second guess yourself and blame what was decided. The way I see it Lakers were successful in burning the cap space of the competing teams, we come out empty so far, but the gold mine is still there. FO should just keep on looking for improvement.
Thirdly, not everyone embrace the Los Angeles attitude. I never got frustrated when NFL teams left this market and we learn to live with it. The same with the high fallutin’ players of today, we get easily swayed and drowned by noise and attention getting social media. If you can’t get what you loved, you should learn to achieve based on what you have.
Who is next?
Todd says
I’m sure Jim is a nice guy but the feedback from the Aldridge meeting is another example that he’s in over his head. It was an indictment on how the Lakers are managed, what they consider important and how they are perceived.
1.) The Aldridge meeting did not need to be as publicized as it was. By drawing so much attention to it the outcome was going to be very public as well. Fit issues made this a low key meeting at best but the Lakers made it their make or break meeting of the free agent season. Aldridge wants to win now and the Lakers are at least three years away. If that was understood then let’s meet for coffee but not get too carried away.
2) Was Jim going to attend or not? Up until 6:00 PM yesterday, social media had Jim not attending. Note to Jim, if you are running Basketball Operations for the Lakers how can your attendance be a last minute decision?
3) The fact that the meeting emphasized non-basketball content was clearly a mistake. I’m in business and if I’ve got a key meeting, I simply ask: “What is most important to Mr. Aldridge to know about our organization?” I mean, it’s really that simple. However, it sounds like Jim was not running the meeting — that isn’t an out for Jim. It’s really on him as President of Basketball Operations to drive a large portion of the meeting’s content. Would Jerry West delegate a key meeting like this to Jeanie?
4) Analytics: When we lost Howard two years ago the feedback from that meeting was that the Rockets showed a deep understanding of Howard’s game and how the Rockets would make sure that Dwight would be used in a way to maximize his strengths. In other words that used analytics to enhance their sales pitch. I don’t think the Lakers’ can hide behind some unnamed statistician sitting in a dark room in El Segundo anymore. It’s time to really beef up this side of the business. Being old school can be quaint and comforting but that time has long past.
5) ‘Well we don’t have a strong basketball case to make. That’s why we went with ‘LA to LA’”. If that’s really how you felt then you shouldn’t have made such a big deal about meeting with Aldridge because its obvious he’s not a good fit. I’m personally of that camp, however, I could make a case for how Aldridge and the Lakers are meant for each other: We are young but talented, we need you and Kobe to lead the way, you will be the face of the franchise after Kobe leaves, etc… Now I get it these are just OK arguments, not great ones. Again, Aldridge was not a great fit.
6) Back to Jim. If Jim want’s this job longer than his self-imposed deadline then he’s going to have to literally grab it by the balls. He seems so damn wishy washy. If Jeanie took control of the meeting because Jim would not, then she has to ask herself if the right person is charge of Basketball Operations?
So much of the pain of the last few years has been self-inflicted driven by hubris and bad decisions. Today was a continuation of that.
St says
To add, this shouldn’t hurt much after having struck out on Melo and D12 on FA.. Even with LMA in the fold, i don’t see LAL making it past the first round.. 2016 is in a year’s time and that CERTAIN OKC STAR is available, that is when the lakers should go with some really advance basketball analytics which goes like “listen Kobe is no more, you’ll always have the ball”
Anonymous says
Ben Simmons here we come
tankyou says
At this point Robin Lopez would be a HUGE signing for us, seriously.
Ed Davis would be a pretty good signing as well, given he has very low mileage on him and would be going into his prime. Honestly bigs worse then him are landing 10-14 mill contracts at this point.
bluehill says
Between the Knicks, Celts, and us, it will be interesting see which team will be able to attract FAs. All have some brand name value. The Celts ownership seems pretty professional or at least doesn’t have any drama. Don’t have a great sense about Ainge, but the departures of Garnett and Pierce seemed to be handled as best as possible. They have solid core of young players but seem to lack a potential superstar. Team chemistry seems to be good. Stevens seems to be regarded as a promising coach especially making it to the playoffs and seems to be implementing a style of play that can win games.
With the Knicks, ownership is a negative and Phil should be a positive but given some his tweets during the playoffs and Carmelo’s alleged reaction to Porzingis I’m not sure anymore. They have one fading superstar and a few role players so not much of a core. The team chemistry seems bad. The Knicks are obviously implementing a previously successful but difficult-to-learn system and jury is still out about Fish as a coach.
With the Lakers, ownership is a slightly to solidly negative in my view with Mitch as a plus. We have a promising core group of players. Team chemistry seemed ok, but that’s without Kobe for most of the season. I’m not sure what type of system we’re trying to run and there seems to be a slightly negative perception about Byron as a coach.
Looking at it this way, I’m glad we’re not the Knicks!
Chibi says
Just need 1 of Jordan, Lopez, or Asik for free agency to be a success.
dxmanners says
Dear Kobe: Please don’t scare off Tobias Harris. Thanks.
Shaun says
Clippers just signed pierce …. dj is staying in clippertown
Asik would be terrible for us and is resigning in new orleans – negotiating
Shumpert somehow just got a 4 year 40mil contract ….gilbert might lose half his cash when he pays the tax …. jr might be gettable ….hmmm so is monta …. its a shame we didn’t Draft okafor …maybe wed actually sign an FA … especially since you know he had a post game no one has seem for years …. but no LA was a lock ….. what a joke
14.1 says
Jonathan July 1, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Darius, please tell me the lakers aren’t going to go into panic mode and mortgage their young talent for a guy like cousins. I have this sick feeling in my stomach that they’re going to try and deal Russell and posibly randle for cousins. I would be heat broken if this comes to pass. Why not ride with the young guys we have and continue to build something of our own. All three have major upside imo. I’m just not sure the lakers FO is will to wait.
__________________
This too is my fear. I hope the team doesn’t go down this route thinking that since they failed to sign a big time FA, they will now make a big splash trade selling the teams future talents for Cousins. There is no point in this as the team is not going to be contending until we add more talent.
tankyou says
@Saun, agree Asik would be bad for us, only b/c we are going to stink and he’s too old at this point to fit for the longterm. But he would at least provide a semblance of defense, Sacre and an unamed scrub to be determined at Center isn’t going to be pretty. Or maybe we can continue our trend and just sign 3 PF’s and force a couple of them to play center undersized. Maybe Boozer will move over to center and be our Stretch 5 baby!
Justin says
@Aaron no way we are bad enough to be a bottom 3 team. 76ers are again the front runners in tanking. Lakers and twolves will be healthier so that alone will give them more wins. Knicks are worse than the Lakers and don’t even have a rookie to give them a small boost from last year. Orlando will still be younger than the Lakers. Kings are likely to torpedo next year. Nuggets will blow it up now that the have a PG. And if by some chance the Lakers are worse than those teams it means Randle and/or Russell struggled which means maybe our future is worse than we think. I guess we could pull a Cavs and steal a top pick with luck two years in a row, but honestly that is a slim chance. Next years likely lottery order by record for me:
1. 76ers
2. Nuggets
3. Kings
4. Knicks
5. Twolves
6. Orlando
7. Lakers
BigCitySid says
-@ Nick, “Simply amazing the run San Antonio has put together over the past 20 years in counting.” Actually Nick, it’s longer than that. In the ’87 draft the Spurs w/ the 1st pick of the draft chose David Robinson, who had at least a two year military commitment before he would be able to suit up for the franchise. They could have picked future HOF’s Scottie Pippin or Reggie Miller to play right away…but they decided to wait at least two years for an Officer & a Gentleman…who also happened to be a very talented 7 footer.
Not only did he turn out to be a 1st ballot HOF, he was incredibly unselfish. Maybe it was his military career, his upbringing or a combination, but he realized that individual sacrifice can lead to collective success. At age 33, 8 time All-Star David Robinson would allowed Tim Duncan to become the focal point of the offense. And he was far from washed up. Earning two more trips to the All-Star game and two NBA titles.
And now Duncan appears to be ready to do the same with LMA. David Robinson…Tim Duncan… LaMarcus Aldridge. You may not like this team, but you have to admire their culture…almost 30 years and continuing.
Sufian says
Gotta get koufas, not a big Robin Lopez fan.
Shaun says
Kings, nuggets, twolves and possibly orlando if they offer and get lopez or monroe the 20 mil they offered milsap will all be better than us next year
R says
RFA Draymond Green is looking for offers from teams other than the Warriors.
However, they would be crazy not to match whatever he brings back to them.
Word is they are “surprised” by the offers lesser lights are getting.
haha … really?
don ford says
The analytics/modern approach and image thing grows stronger.
rr: 2. Reboot the organizational image. […] seen by many as being, among other things, quaint, dated, out of step, behind the times. The Lakers need to do stuff to give the impression that […] they understand and use the new data and information about the game…..
Todd: 4) Analytics: When we lost Howard two years ago the feedback from that meeting was that the Rockets showed a deep understanding of Howard’s game and how the Rockets would make sure that Dwight would be used in a way to maximize his strengths. In other words that used analytics to enhance their sales pitch. I don’t think the Lakers’ can hide behind some unnamed statistician sitting in a dark room in El Segundo anymore. It’s time to really beef up this side of the business. Being old school can be quaint and comforting but that time has long past.
=======================
This is all spot-on, both for substantive team success reasons as well as FA-marketing reasons.
I’m no expert, but, as an LA sports fan, I’ve got experience with exactly how deep a sea change this approach can have on a team and organization: the Dodgers. The Dodgers are a completely different team than a few years ago – in approach, in analysis, in how they are viewed. Those guys at Dodger Stadium offices are SMART and are making cool headed clever decisions (for the most part, etc.). If only the Lakers had such a fresh, smart modern take on things – hell, who wouldn’t jump at doing that job for the freaking Los Angeles Lakers franchise if the Busses offered it?
barry_g says
We’ve got good young talent, a ton of cap space, and Kobe coming off the books next year. And the sky is falling because we aren’t giving our money away?? As I said before, believe it or not, there’s something worse than not picking up any “top-level” (i.e., max contract) free agents this summer, and that’s overspending for that “top-level” talent. Sure, the cap goes up next year and the year after, but why does that mean we need to spend what we have now? Everyone will have extra money to spend, but we’ll have MORE if we don’t spend unwisely this summer. Everyone will have the space to pick up a max contract next summer, but we’ll have the space to pick up TWO TO THREE max contracts next summer if we don’t spend frivolously now. There is a very real cost to picking up bad contracts this summer; here’s hoping the front office doesn’t have the same panic mentality as some of us FB&G posters.
BigCitySid says
@ Justin, I’m expecting T’ Wolves to finish w/ a better record than the Lakers.
Jerke says
Out of curiousity – was Scott at the meeting with LMA? I don’t see any reason necessarily for Kobe to catch flack for LMA passing up and I know LMA would have respect for Kobe and his opinion etc… – but if the reasons are because of the bball stuff or lack of thorough explanation/planning/vision/forethought on the bball side, shouldn’t the coach be the person in charge of explaining the Lakers vision for LMA and how he would fit into their off/def?
Teamn says
I’ve been in the patience camp for awhile now, so I was not excited about Aldridge or some others mentioned. I fully understand those that want rapid turnaround, but I just don’t see the lure for big name guys. It’s definitely not the basketball, yet, so what else would do it?
As for the stuff coming from Aldridge’s camp, I get what rr is saying, but I honestly think some of this Kobe stuff is overblown and/or payback for years of losses. I do agree that the FO, to include ownership and coaching, needs serious work. FAs probably doubt that Scott will be here much longer and wonder what is going on with the Buss kids. Really no rational reason to consider the Lakers at this point.
Two negative by-products of all this: the narrative for Kobe’s last year gets worse and the environment to develop young players sours day by day.
George says
@Todd – I know FO apologists will give you a hard time about your post but you are right. By making the Aldridge meeting/presentation more important than it needed to be you open yourselves up to very public criticism. The FO can try and spin this but when internet news headlines and twitter feeds essentially say “Free agent LaMarcus Aldridge not impressed by Lakers’ presentation”, there’s little you can do to refute what is implied.
I like Jeanie, but every interview she gives she makes it clear that she does not understand Basketball Operations. So if Jim is not leading this meeting and Jeanie is then why are we so surprised by the disconnect between what the Lakers delivered and what Aldridge needed to see and hear from a basketball perspective.
Mid-Wilshire says
To begin with, I am not at all surprised at Aldridge rejecting the Lakers’ offer. After all, the Lakers are a lottery team. They’ve won a total of 48 games in two years. And their only “star” is a rapidly fading 37-year old Kobe Bryant. Any 30-year old All Star PF in the league will look at that and easily say, “Let me see if I can find something else.” And he can’t be blamed.
I must say that I do feel that the leaks from Aldridge’s team that the Lakers’ presentation fell woefully short and that LMA and Kobe simply did not “mesh” was, perhaps, a little surprising and mean-spirited. Usually, players simply make their final decision without commenting on the other teams. Could there have been some bad blood in this case? Could LMA have perhaps been going out of his way to snub the Lakers? It’s impossible to say. But so far, no other player has commented negatively on any team’s presentation–only Aldridge.
But that’s neither here nor there.
If I were the Lakers, at this point I would set my sights on two players: 1) Robin Lopez, a serviceable, get-able, solid defensive center who can pay 30 minutes a game, clog the middle well enough (boy, do the Lakers need that), and give you 10 pts. and 7 rebounds a game, and 2) Tobias Harris, a very promising 6-9 SF who just finished a career year with 17.1 pts. per game and 6.3 rebounds. Harris will almost assuredly be on the market. His defense needs to be tightened up a bit, but that is often the case with 22-23 year-olds. This may be a “Plan B” but it’s not at all a bad plan. And these two players would certainly represent an improvement over last year. There’s still time to salvage this FA season which is, after all, only 24 hours old.
One other note: none of these recent events — especially Aldridge’s rejection of the Lakers which I fully expected — should cause us to panic. The Lakers are (by my count) entering year 2 of a 5-year re-building plan. When corporations enter into turn-around situations, it takes years, not months for them to regain their footing. (I’ve witnessed two of these in my career.)
The Lakers, then, should concentrate on developing their not inconsiderable young talent — Clarkson, Russell, Randle, the other rookies and 2nd-year players, et. al. — and thus make themselves intriguing to FAs in another 2 years or so. If they do this, things will assuredly turn around. But as of today, D’Angelo Russell is 19 years old, Julius Randle is 20, and Jordan Clarkson is a geriatric 23. The Lakers could have as many as 8 (!) players 24 years old or younger on next year’s team. That would make this a serious youth movement. So, let’s give them a chance to develop.
It’s a process. There’s no other way.
Kevin says
Two mistakes from our FO today:
1) targeting Aldridge who was never a good fit
2) missing so badly on Aldridge when the FO went all in to get him
I feel it was a dodged bullet in losing him. However, the path we took to this point shows how much work our FO needs — it was a little embarrassing.
chris henderson says
Tarik Black can be our center, I saw signs of Dwight Howard in him last year.
Ed Davis, again, sign him, build from our farm team, along with rookies.
let Kobe have his fanfare year.
we’ve got a PG now who might be all star level, and let him have this year to get his feet under him, Julius is also a first year rook, let him have the same.
keep our expectations low this years folks…
and be cool
Rob says
Am I crazy, or aren’t the Lakers better off focusing on off court opportunities than on court stuff?
When you’re trying to sell something you focus on the strengths, not the weaknesses. The Lakers on court situation isn’t a strength right now, it’s their biggest weakness. Off court marketing opportunities are the strength, so you focus on that.
That’s not what Aldridge was looking for, and that’s OK. Things wouldn’t have gone better if the Lakers had talked about playing with two rookies and a second year player.
Anonymous says
Am I crazy, or aren’t the Lakers better off focusing on off court opportunities than on court stuff?
—
Sure, but if the best defense of the FO is that the roster that they have constructed is too weak to effectively sell it to FAs, then it might be time to re-think some things.
One problem here for me is that if the FO wanted to re-tool dramatically with a 30-year-old FA in July of 2015, then Kobe’s and Young’s deals make even less sense than they appeared to at the time.
Craig W. says
If you are selling the future to a buyer who doesn’t want a fixer-upper, you are not going to have a great presentation. It is called ‘putting lipstick on a pig’. Now that pig may become a hog, and simply run over the opposition, but that is down the road into the future – and not guaranteed.
If you want to blame that on the front office, then ok, but Mitch had done some pretty good things with this franchise and I am not ready to turn him out because he isn’t a dynamic speaker. Yes, we certainly need a dynamic speaker and it is on ownership to get one and put them out there.
Leaks, leaks, leaks. I was curious about the comment that some of this might be sour grapes from the LWA camp, because the Lakers have terminated his team’s season more than once. If you aren’t going to sign with a club, and are signing probably the last large contract of your career, you don’t have as much to lose as an up-and-coming player.
Anyway, all this doesn’t make the Laker organization look very good – no denying that. However, from a practical standpoint, LWA was always a long-shot, as is DJ. Back a thread or two ago we talked about R. Lopez and Monroe being better fits for this club. I too think putting such an emphasis on LWA and DJ created a backlash probability for the fans and the media. However, I am not sure what else they should have done. Should we have simply ignored these free-agents? I can see the media stories now; pointing out how clueless the Laker front office was for not even considering the prime free-agents. I don’t think there was a win here, but there certainly is a loss.
14.1 says
This is why I wanted the FO to go after Chandler or any of the 2nd tier center from the get go. Too late now with Chandler. Most of the reported contracts signed and offered are near max dollars, a number of which are too much and are over spending for the talent acquired IMO. A number of the FAs we discussed here and hoped to sign are on that list of overpaid contracts. I know it won’t be seen as such when the cap balloons, but it is still more than the Lakers can afford if the team wants to field a whole team without holes at various positions.
Chandler and Lopez although may not be as sexy as Aldridge, Love, or DJ, is much more affordable, realistic and more gettable. Of course if the FO simply aimed for these guys and was able to sign them, Laker fans everywhere will get angry and start to sling mud complaining that this proud franchise needs to do more and sign big names because we need big names to lure other big names to turn the team into a contender by next year. It’s a no win situation.
So the FO goes after the biggest FAs hoping of please the masses even though these signings don’t totally fit the current teams needs, timeline, or finances. There is no real basketball-related arguments the FO can present to Aldridge, because frankly the team sucks! See last 2 seasons records. The new draftees have potential but unproven. However Mitch spins this, it will not be more appealing when compared the Rockets or Spurs basketball-related pitch. Both those teams have real chances of winning next year. There’s just no comparison. They can sell the future, but that won’t work with Aldridge as he’s on a different time table. So the FO tries to pitch other perks that are off court non-basketball related. What else is there? Since signing these guys were unrealistic in the first place, they come out empty handed. All the while, gettable FAs sign with other teams while the FO waste time chasing the big names to appease fans.
Reporters are going to report it and some of these reports will be embarrassing and make the FO look bad. If the front office could tweet the news themselves, they will not portray it like those reporters did. They are not trying to make themselves look bad. Although reporters making the Lakers look bad gets lots of clicks online. There is no win here for the FO.
They try and they get lambasted. They don’t try too hard and they get lambasted. Now I just hope that they don’t go and trade all our young assets away and swing for the fences to make up for missing out on Aldridge, DJ, Love and whoever else to make fans happy.
Just stick to the script. We are rebuilding. Sign decent role players and build. The plan is the same as it was on draft night. Acquire, develop and build for the future.
Aaron says
Justin,
The Sixers are the only team I see as being worse than the Lakers next year. Unless the Knicks trade melo or he sits out the year again. But it’s still early in the offseason. We will see what teams this summer set themselves up to tank. But right now it’s between the Sixers and Lakers for the worst roster in the league. Because the Lakers have drafted better talent in my opinion and the Sixers have shown not only do they tank from the FO it looks like they tank from the coaching level I’ll give the Sixers the odds on fav for the worst record.
14.1,
Everyone told me last summer we weren’t tanking also
14.1 says
We are not tanking again next year Aaron. Give it up. The only way we are bad enough to even compete with the 76ers is if the team is decimated by injuries. No thanks.
Craig W. says
As for the wing players available on that thread a day or so ago, all but one have been snapped up – most by their previous teams. Since 6’5″-6’9″ wing players are the current ‘flavor of the month’ and the salary cap is going to explode next year, I suspect this was pretty predictable.
Sure, I guess we could have targeted them first, but our biggest hole is bigs down-low. Again, I don’t think there was a scenario where the front office wasn’t going to look stupid.
rr says
, but we’ll have the space to pick up TWO TO THREE max contracts next summer if we don’t spend frivolously now.
—
So will approximately half the teams in the NBA.
Also, no one is panicking; no one is scared. People just want to see the team make some good moves, get better, and look good in the media, and right now we are discussing why these things are not occurring.
tankyou says
I’m with Aaron on this one, I don’t want the team to tank, but as it stands now the roster they have is set to tank again. It’s still early and they certainly could still sign some defensive FA’s that can prevent basement dwelling. But for now the team is far too young to do anything year 1, and they players we have under contract all stink at defense basically. Mind you Clarkson may be an OK defender, and Russel hasn’t played yet, but I think he’s going to struggle defensively big time year 1, lots of guys will be way faster than him.
So the Lakers need to sign some defensive bigs to prevent us from just being laughing stock bad. I see us as having more upside in the long run with the trio of young guys we have, but in terms of the here and now–the team is set up to be worse next year. So please find some SF/PF/Centers that can play defense at least.
14.1 says
LOL Doc is reassembling the Celtics in the West. He wants to sign Perkins. They should go after Rondo too and then change the re-do the Clippers logo to make it be Celtics West.
Shaun says
The FA class for next year is a joke …. only horford really as an impact player who can possibly leave his team … beal,Barnes and drummond are all restricted and if we are getting a boner by the likes of galinari, deng or david lee those will be the highlight guys next year
If we cant keep dwight, sign LA or even chandler do you think we are going to have a shot at KD …..gtfooh ….. this will be a long term rebuild ….. That fracking nash deal killed us ….. helped dwight leave and ruined our future …. . Worst deal ever
14.1 says
This piece says pretty much how I feel about this situation and what I expressed in another posting that’s in a holding pattern.
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/7/1/8880019/la-lakers-free-agency-nba-lamarcus-aldridge-kevin-love
Robert says
Darius “But that nagging feeling the Lakers don’t have it together persists.” Indeed. I was not all over Aldridge either, but the Lakers do not come out of any of this looking good. Again.
JD says
The issue here quite simply is a talent gap. You have two problems here and one is the lack of talent to attract the star player and two is the perception that the allure of Los Angeles is enough to attract a star player. The latter you can not control, but it does appear as if free agents have used the Lakers for leverage in past years. The fact of the matter is you have to look at these cases individually. LaMarcus Aldridge wants to be coddled and wined and dined. He has never been the man in Portland and has played second fiddle to the likes of Brandon Roy and Damian Lillard. It was reported that he was openly upset about his lack of endorsements and publicity while Lillard got these almost instantaneously when entering the league. Aldridge is also 30 years old and does not have time for the Lakers to make up their minds on what they want to be. I’m as big a Kobe fan as there is on this board, but that extension is one of the root causes of this and I’m not talking monetarily but I am talking in terms of vision. What did this team want to be? This should have been clarified two years ago. You can not attract talent without a vision. The Lakers have to start over and I think they have come to realize this and I’m glad they didn’t trade the #2 pick, but they’re not getting a big time player to sign with this current makeup. What they need to do is change gears and switch to focus on younger players who can complement their younger core (sans Kobe) going forward. They should switch gears towards Greg Monroe (already have), Tobias Harris, and Draymond Green (who has broken off contract talks with GSW). If not, they need to get some singles and doubles and build on what they have. There is no quick fix here. Remember post-Magic it took this team 4 years to get back into the playoffs. We as a fan-base are not the most patient bunch but smart teams build year to year and strike when appropriate.
Anonymous says
teamn,
I am not in the “blame Kobe” camp. But I agree with a lot of what Todd said.
Warren Wee Lim says
If DeAndre Jordan ends up signing with us, can everyone call it a successful offseason? There are cheaper options out there that do not require his massive salary. Like I alluded to in previous posts, Robin Lopez and Ed Davis and the chance to sign defensive help at the wing.
Anonymous says
SSR is a spin machine. Not much happening over there other than some wannabes bagging on Byron Scott.
Nick says
This notion that we should tank and try to land in the top 3 is retarded for so many reasons.
1. We aren’t THAT bad
2. The loterry is a huge risk (ie. The Knicks this year)
3. Fall out of the top 3, we lose the pick (obviously, but wanted to reiterate)
The salary cap is rising next year, across the NBA teams are recognizing this and OVERPAYING FREE AGENTS. Tobias Harris and Greg Monroe are unlikely to get close to a max offer. We need to come in and bid heavy. These guys are so young, and there is worlds of potential there, despite the opinions of a few “basketball experts” on this blog who say they “cant” play defense. Money talks, BS walks.
Quit paying for past performance Lakers. Create your own next wave of NBA talent. Tobias and Monroe aren’t huge unknowns, so I don’t want to strictly say “sign potential,” but in this case it makes sense.
Also, having your first meeting with Aldridge was a terrible idea. Clearly shows D’andre Jordan and Monroe you value him more, when clearly Aldridge was a long shot. I’m not just saying this with 50/50 vision either. Every well read NBA fan on here knew that going into this. All is not lost, but it’s hard to really trust what the Buss kids are doing at times.
rr says
Post at 621 pm is me.
rr says
It just makes more sense on almost every level.
—
Not to Anthony Davis.
barty says
Didn’t have high hopes so not really disappointed. But the way this played out is a black eye for the organization. It looks bad when the guy turning you down proceeds to throw shade at you.
Tra says
The FO will probably have to end up significantly over paying for someone such as Robin Lopez or Kosta Koufas. How ironic would that be considering the fact that we had the opportunity to draft a Center, who, at 19 yrs old, is better than the both of them and would have cost (definitely in regards to Lopez) a lot less?
—–
“He and Kobe didn’t quite gel. It’s a little vague, but Aldridge apparently didn’t quite get answers from Kobe he was seeking.”
—
I can certainly imagine Dwight, Jared Dudley & Nelly somewhere smiling, enjoying that tweet.
Hopefully, things will turn out for the best at the end of this year’s free agency for us, but as of right now, once again, unfortunately, we’re the laughing stock of the league.
Aaron says
rr,
Anthony Davis was offered guaranteed future cap money (something I didn’t know was possible) Nobody else could offer that.
Are you saying you think star players are looking for role players to play with and not other stars? Explain why you think that? I’ve never heard a star player say “man… That team has cap room for a lot of role players!” Or… “Man… Look at all those role players on that team. I got to get over there”.
rr says
Aaron,
As to the offer, I explained that yesterday–Davis was signed under the Derrick Rose Rule.
R says
Aaron, touché … pretty funny too.
My experience is, yes, people of quality want to work together.
Aaron says
rr,
I know. I’m saying I didn’t know it was possible until it happened and you told me about the “Derek Rose Rule”
Teamn says
rr,
Agree, Todd makes a number of good points, as have many others. At this point, need some humor.
KO — a lonely (Laker) nation turns its eyes to you!
bluehill says
About playing with Kobe, I don’t think it’s necessarily a binary decision about wanting or not wanting to play with Kobe. If this were the pre-injury Kobe of 5 or 6 years ago when he was near the peak of his abilities, FAs probably wanted to play with him despite how tough he could be on them because he could physically lead them to a championship. I think what’s changed now is that Kobe still thinks or acts like he can be the lead dog and the FAs don’t believe it. They don’t necessarily need to be the alpha in the group, but aren’t willing to be led by someone they don’t think can get it done.
I don’t know what goes on in the locker rooms, so this is just based on appearances, but Kobe seems to have a different approach to younger guys than that of the old guys on the Spurs. I would like to think that a Kwahi Leonard could have developed within the Lakers organization, but I’m not sure given the way Kobe is. Granted the Spurs run a different system, so that probably is a factor as well.
Craig W. says
Now there is the comment by David West that the Knicks are just not good enough to sign with. There does seem to be a thread here. If you aren’t the last piece in a championship team, players will hesitate to sign with you. As to all the other extraneous babble going around, I think a grain of salt is necessary – except when the comment confirms one of your previous opinions.
This isn’t to say the front office doesn’t have to rethink how they are doing things – analytics should be part of the ‘dog and pony’ show – and who they should target first.
lil pau says
in the midst of all this hand-wringing, let’s not forget LMA did NOT want to play C for Portland and in fact forced the FO to bring in a bunch of mediocrities at that position so he could stay at the 4. Let’s try to imagine how that might look with our team (‘no, i really think randle should sit and scare should play’). I wanted LMA, more than most here, but I always struggled with his age (on the decline when the Lakers hope to peak) and his recalcitrance re playing center on a team that badly needs one was another big problem for me. Still, I’m bummed.
that said, I struggle to believe the narrative that LMA was leaning towards the Lakers (why?) but was somehow dissuaded by an incompetent sales pitch. Feels like someone’s personal grudge to me more than the way an elite athlete would make a decision.
I just hope the FO wasn’t banking on Love or LMA when choosing Russell over Okafor, that would be bad. Let’s hope that decision was based on objective merits, not a misguided sense of how easy it would be to acquire a big FA.
Channeling my inner Aaron, perhaps: the worst news of the last 24 hours is not LMA, it’s A Davis. That one is going to keep me awake tonight.
rr says
I’ve never heard a star player say “man… That team has cap room for a lot of role players!” Or… “Man… Look at all those role players on that team. I got to get over there”.
—
Each star player is different. And, players, agents and FOs do not all see the NBA Universe the same way that you do. You can ask LeBron James, who will probably be playing with a maxed-out Kevin Love for the next five years, and Anthony Davis, who re-upped with a small-market team that has no second star for a minimum of four years, if you don’t believe me.
Like I said: you are good at talent evaluation, but IMO you should re-think all these inside info predictions. Your batting average with those is pretty much .000. One reason for that is that you seem to think Miami 2010 was a blueprint. Right now, it looks more like an outlier.
Teamn says
Interesting how things have turned out around the league with first the CBA, then the new TV contract. All of a sudden small market teams have the money to re-sign their stars, as well as second and third tier players. Seems like the Clevelands of the world either lucked out or played this very well, while LA and NY fell apart at exactly the wrong moment. Now those two teams have tons of money, no takers, and a long road ahead.
Daniel says
If the rumors are correct in that kobe pushed the Gasol angle on LA, i can’t say i really blame him. Gasol won 2 championships and went to 3 finals; why wouldn’t you want to model your vision for the franchise after that? The other method would’ve been to push the young guard who LA could form a strong pick n pop/pick n roll with, but isn’t that the reason he wanted to leave Portland in the first place, cuz dame lillard was getting too much pub? If LA didn’t want to go for those, it sounds like it was a losing proposition from the outset.
Moving forward, I’m with Mid above – I’d like to make a strong push for tobias harris and sign r lopez as our center. Harris in particular, even as a RFA, seems ripe for the taking.
Lastly, not that i really believe we would, but i hope to god we do not make a play for D Wade.
Mr. Clutch says
The Lakers need to recognize the reality of their situation and then embrace it.
1. The Jerry Buss formula for success cannot be duplicated. He operated under different rules, and the current CBA has seriously reduced his method of attracting talent. With max salaries dictated by the CBA, the Lakers no longer have the ability to outbid others and must lure star players with other attractions.
2. The “Los Angeles” glitz factor is dead or at least seriously devalued. Media realities have changed completely. Larger markets do not automatically equal greater endorsement opportunities or side income. LeBron and KD are raking it in with endorsements, shoe contracts, etc. and neither has ever played for a large market. The Time Warner pitch might work for someone like Melo (although it didn’t), who is a little bit older and who has a wife who wants to break into show business. It is doubtful that someone with a personality like LMA would be attracted to such a pitch.
3. The California state income tax puts California teams at a slight disadvantage compared to those states with little or no income tax, and since the CBA does not adjust max salaries (or salary) for those tax realities, something besides money will need to motivate players to come here.
4. The value of the Lakers “brand” has diminished because of these factors and attempting to rely upon it now is outmoded and unlikely to succeed. Much of the Lakers’ championship aura left with PJ and Shaq, and other teams stepped into the void.
5. Marquee free agents will value a stable organization run by recognized successful front office personnel. Pop, Pat Riley, and Jerry West (LAL and GSW) are examples. It appears that the perception of Jimmy Buss as a conjoined twin with Mitch does not convey that image. Mitch is seemingly a good talent evaluator, and I have no doubt that he is and will be able to integrate analytics into his evaluations. The FO needs to be Mitch, front and center, with Jimmy out of the picture or in a figurehead, but virtually invisible, role.
6. In the current situation, they have no choice but to spend this coming year developing their young players to give the appearance of this being an “up-and-coming” team. They effectively have two high first-round picks this year, Randle and Russell. JC was a revelation and Nance and Brown need to get minutes to develop. Unless Upshaw shows signs of being a troublemaker, I would sign him out of summer league and give him as many minutes as he can justify.
7. Decide on your identity post-Kobe and jettison players who won’t buy in, starting with Nick Young. He won’t play defense, his “swaggy” persona wasn’t earned and he is highly unlikely to help in the development of young talent. Any player brought in older than age 25 needs to be a hard working, tough defender or be a significant offensive talent who at least gives visible effort on defense.
8. Byron Scott is a dinosaur who is probably not the coach for a predominantly young team. A Brad Stevens/Billy Donovan type would be far better for the Lakers’ foreseeable future.
9. Stop pretending that Kobe is an MVP candidate. He was a transcendent talent, one of the very greatest of all time, but that time has passed. At this point, he is a millstone around the neck of the franchise, thanks largely to his obscene contract, but also because his perception that he remains one of the greatest players currently in the NBA, which is simply not true. The Lakers need to privately let him know that this is his final year with the team, and that it would be best for his legacy and for the organization if he lives up to his retirement at the end of the season. His hints that he may come back will only be a distraction, and likely be a repellent to future free agents. (I suspect that was the question that LMA wanted an answer to, just like Dwight before him).
10. Adopt the philosophy of “growing your own.” The Lakers appear to have a talented young nucleus right now, and they should not be jettisoned for veterans unless they are convinced that they simply won’t make it. Accumulate draft picks, not dump them. Use the last three slots on your bench to “try out” young or unproven players to see what you might find. Under the current CBA, the Lakers will get nowhere unless they have a solid base of homegrown players.
DJ says
If a player meet with the owner of the team and you don’t impress, what does it tell us? keep missing playoff and get high draft picks. Kobe compared Alridge to Gasol, no one likes that, Kobe still thinks he is Stephon Curry or LeBron James. It is a sad chapter in Lakers history.
Danny says
I don’t know how advanced analytics can convince LMA that playing with 19-22 year old kids and injury laden kids can trump joining the 2014 champs sans Splitter, or being the final puzzle to the Harden-Howard piece.
All you can do is focus on off-court and the hope that help is on the way next season. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, but analytics have nothing to do with it, more of the talent in place.
James Katt says
The problem for LMA is that
1. L.A. is in rebuilding mode. They don’t have a good mix of veterans and rookies – they have beginners. They don’t have continuity. They don’t have a proven coach.
2. L.A. still has the stink of ineptitude and toxicity that drove away Shaq, drove away Dwight Howard, drove away Pau Gasol, destroyed Lamar Odom, and bankrupted the Lakers’ future.
LMA wants to win after years of disappointments and rebuilding in Portland. Why should he want more?
The Spurs are the ideal team for him. With him a Power Forward, the Spurs would be a ridiculously powerful team lead by the great coach Pop, and backed by the best ownership in the NBA. The Spurs are a team of good guys from top to bottom. And LMA is a good guy. He deserves the best at this stage of his career.
Shaun says
Kings just went all in to be competitive – traded thompson,stauskas,amd landry for nothing and gave up a 1st and swaprights in 2 upcoming drafts ….. got to say hinkie is now coming up a genius ….
Could have 3 top 7 picks next year – could they sign ellis and matthews to add with gay,cousins and stein. ….. boom competing ….ballsy to keep cousins ….. were not making the playoffs for like 5 years
the other Stephen says
I wonder if the front office is daft enough to try the same “benefits of living in Los Angeles” pitch on DeAndre Jordan.
I listen to California government and corporate leaders discuss their plans to address regional challenges (e.g. water issue, corporate climate, economic development, etc.) all the time. The one line I hear more than any other is the old fallback about how there’s just something about California that makes people want to be here (i.e. the nice weather, beaches, mountains, etc.).
Hearing that always makes me feel like my intelligence is being insulted. Hale is right: Los Angeles can sell itself. What I want to know is if you have anything more incisive to say about how to build education, infrastructure, tech clusters–the basketball team–than personal comforts or potential for growing my personal brand.
Darius, the front office truly might not have a lot to sell on the basketball side, but the fact that LaMarcus Aldridge granted them an audience at all implies that he saw potential, and that they could have probably tried harder at outlining a smart, self-aware, and honest plan. I’m not worried so much about the FO losing out on Aldridge as I am about their capability to woo players in the future.
Shaun says
Philly is pretty smart … look as much as we would like to we are not competing for like 5 years ….. GS is stacked with young talent, houston will be good and together with the , clippers and thunder will own the west for like the next 3-4 years and the cavs will rule the east until lebron gets old now with all their guys locked in
Whats the point in building a roster in this environment …. instead have 10 top 5 draft picks on your team and when they mature over the next few years this wave has now all become old giving you a better shot at a title …. super long term play kind of like how we got worthy in the draft in the 80s
2 years ago Dwight left that sucked, Pau took less money to leave that sucked, injuries last year sucked, our draft sucked, FA period sucks, short term outlook is pretty bad right now
I hope we sign gerald green as an FA, actually sign upshaw to a guaranteed contract and just run the fuck out of the ball … javale could be fun too, hes at least that type of player amd we could get some time on shaqtin ….. i’m planning to go to LA sometime this year to see a game at staples in person at least tickets will be reasonable
R says
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Draymond Green has signed with the Warriors for $85 million/5 years.
rr says
Marc Stein
@ESPNSteinLine
Omer Asik and Pelicans are finalizing a deal, according to ESPN sources
Brandan Wright joining the @memgrizz.
R says
The Other Stephen: “I wonder if the front office is daft enough to try the same ‘benefits of living in Los Angeles’ pitch on DeAndre Jordan.”
My god, that is the best line of the year!
rr says
Ramona Shelburne
@ramonashelburne
Rising concern tonight in Clipperland about DeAndre Jordan bolting. They were confident until today, now feel it’s “50-50” 13m
Shaun says
Jae crowder who i had hoped would have been a sleeper target at sf who could develop value just signed a 5 year 35mil contract ….this guy wasnt playing a lick until he got traded to boston and now gets 7 mil per year ….get out of here NBA your drunk you dont know what you are doing
No way ellis signs for like 8-9mil in indy now ….they are probably dropping out of things in the east …. maybe paul george will be the next melo/dwight/deron/love guy in a year or two
Im so startled (SP reference)
Bamboozeled
Perplexed
Destressed
………
barry_g says
rr – say the Lakers sign a solid center this offseason for ~$10M/yr, and then bargain shop for the rest of the roster. With Kobe coming off the books next year, that gives them ~$40M of cap space next year, not including the expected cap increase. Which 15 teams can match that? You might’ve missed a zero somewhere, but in any case, your math’s wrong.
Gian says
Wow, so this is where the smart, objective and reasonable Lakers fan hang! Getting tired of the over at BR.
Gian says
I agree with bluehill 100%
rr says
You might’ve missed a zero somewhere, but in any case, your math’s wrong.
—
Since we don’t know what the cap will be or what many teams will do in terms of contracts, including the Lakers, you have absolutely no way of proving any significant part of what you just said. You are just hoping and guessing.
That noted, I made the remark off the cuff, so fair enough. But it is widely presumed that many teams will have a lot of money to spend next year, even if they don’t have as much as the Lakers will.
Aaron says
rr,
Only one team could sign Davis to that deal. What star free agent signed to a team because of role players? It doesn’t happen. They want to play with other stars. That’s just the way the world works. It’s human nature. You want to play with greatness. Players want to play with better players… Not worse players. This is pretty simple stuff. Would you want to play with LBJ or Jimmy Butler? Do you wanna play with Steph Curry or Brandon Jennings? Blake Griffen or Greg Monroe?
Jamison says
Well, today is certainly not going to be featured in future franchise highlight reels… Time to get off Twitter — I don’t think my health can stomach more bad news…
There are several things I believe to be true about the Lakers’ current situation, which means that you and all others should believe them too.
1. Losing out on Aldridge means nothing in terms of what really matters — title contention. We are not remotely close to contending, and he would not have changed that. He would have made us 5-10 wins closer to above average, but that’s all.
2. Championships are won by men, not college age prospects. Our three most important players (Russell/Randle/Clarkson) are all at least 4 years away from playing key roles on a title team.
3. We are currently in the 1st stage in this cycle of roster construction — pure asset gathering. During this stage we have only two goals in building our roster: (1) gather long term assets, and (2) create an environment for young player development.
4. When we get further along and our young core have developed closer to title worthy players, then we should at that point consider things like roster balance, whether our key players complement each other’s strengths/weaknesses in the most efficient ways, etc. Focusing on Aldridge now was a short-sighted attempt to short circuit this roster cycle, but our 19/20 year old foundation pieces aren’t ready to add a 30 year old star, and won’t be for a few years. And we likewise shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about the fit of this or that player given how far we are from truly contending.
5. We must come out of this summer with actual long term assets to show for our $25M in cap room. Last summer, we had the same opportunity with $25M-ish in cap room, and, the same need to focus on asset gathering. But, due to impatience and not recognizing that we were in stage 1, we took the worst possible approach and (1) swung and missed for the superstars, and (2) then panicked into spending the $25M on the exact WRONG kind of players — low ceiling veterans that could never be around when we get to the point of contention, and that have no asset value around the league — Boozer/Lin/Hill/Young. Total catastrophe, and this has set us back. Instead of swinging for the fences (where would we really be with Melo right now?), and then panicking, we should have tried for a few singles and doubles. Monroe, Thomas, Bledsoe, etc. Now, many of these probably would not have panned out, but just landing one or two solid young players that could be on the roster long term, or that would be attractive to other teams. Instead, last year’s cap room did NOTHING for us. This is concerning.
6. We can’t repeat the mistakes of last summer now, especially as it looks like we will once again whiff on the superstars we coveted. They would have been sexy, but, again, 30 year old stars don’t fit with where the Lakers are with stage 1 rebuilding. Instead, we need to focus on adding pieces that can develop with Russell and co. Monroe (again…), Jordan (looks like we botched it), Harris, Middleton (too late), Carroll (ditto), RLopez, BWright (ditto), Davis, Stauskas (kidding). Now, many or all of these players have fit issues or weaknesses, but that’s ok. We aren’t trying to build a contending roster without holes right now. We’re trying to put together as many assets as we can that are on the same roster stage timeline. We cannot waste the cap room, AGAIN, on veterans with no long term potential. And, I fear that our single-minded focus on Aldridge (who was not the right fit), and general “stars or bust” philosophy, has cost us the opportunity to add the pieces we should have focused on from the beginning.
7. I’m sure everyone would love to sign Durant next year, and that would of course be spectacular. But that’s not going to happen. He’s going to either stay with Westbrook/Ibaka, or join a team of MEN that are immediately ready to contend (like Lebron did in Miami). I still believe in our market and tradition having real pull among the players, but we need to strike when we are ready — and that will be when Russell/Randle have developed into stars in 3-4 years. Until then, we need to focus on developing them and adding long term pieces around them — and not continue to flail around chasing the Melos and Aldridge’s of the league, when they aren’t going to join a rebuilding project, and are too old to hit their prime with our core players.
8. Stauskas.
9. The combination of the players the front office has been spending all their time/energy chasing, and the reports from the pitch meetings paint a deeply troubling picture. Add in the catastrophe that was last summer, the choice of Byron to coach, etc., and my confidence in the front office has been shaken. We have a dynamic young core, the best market in the league, and financial flexibility going forward — and thus should be well positioned to slowly, patiently put together a roster and system that can eventually contend for a long period of time. But this will never happen if the front office doesn’t wake up. Unfortunately, I don’t think they know they are sleeping.
Perilous times.
R says
Aaron, let’s hope somebody wants to play with Robert Sacre…
Spitfire says
I’m surprised that still no one has criticized Scott about the basketball part presentation. Geez! Do you think the players know what system works and what’s not? Old- school basketball philosophy of Scott is already dead if you ask me. Now, it’s DAJ, who looked unimpressed by the Lakers presentation. The Lakers need change in coaching sooner or later before we lose all luster to other FA out there. Not because we are the Lakers, but because we have to embrace a system that works and not just you have to look “tough”.
rr says
I’m surprised that still no one has criticized Scott about the basketball part presentation. Geez!
—
Scott didn’t hire himself.
Anonymous says
Lakers are lost and stuck in the past. This organization has turned into a joke. Kobe needs to retire soon please!
R says
True Byron didn’t hire himself but that doesn’t absolve him of all responsibility or make him immune from criticism. Having said that he’s not even close to the core of the problem, which I concede must be your point. I would say the central problem are the Buss kids. But then, they didn’t ask to be born.
rr says
R,
I said this about Byron in an email to Robert:
I have said that Byron has won when he has had a HOF PG to run the O through (Kidd in NJ; Paul in NO) and active defensive bigs (Kenyon Martin, Tyson Chandler). His very best teams were all Top 5 in D. And Byron is an old-school tough-guy motivator type, not a tactician. When he has not had that type of talent, he has lost, and lost big. This is part of the reason why I don’t blame him much, if at all: all of that was known before he was hired. No one who was being realistic about it would expect that Byron would come in and be Mr. Nice Supportive Guy with the young players and have a bunch of new-age strategies for the offense. Byron came in with a long track record, the Lakers already knew him, and they interviewed him, what, 3-4 times?
R says
Good points, all.
rr says
Aaron,
If it is all so simple, then why have your predictions about player outcomes/signings been wrong?
Guys want to be good teams, which are comprised of different types of useful/good/great players, and are usually built over time. No champion yet has been built by nailing 3-4 draft picks and then using that as bait to sign 2-3 max FAs at the same time. It is a nice theory, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe the Lakers will be the first team to do it. I hope so.
But in the real world, Anthony Davis is a Pelican until 2020, and the Lakers have, as noted, Robert Sacre.
And, you should consider rooting the 76ers. Hinkie actually kind of puts some of your ideas into practice.
rr says
R,
Thanks. Don’t get me wrong–I would not have hired Byron, and would much rather have him commentating than coaching. But the guy was a known commodity; and, full disclosure, I will always give respect to the Showtime guys. I grew up on those teams.
Vasheed says
per ESPN, Aldridge’s representation tweeted Wednesday that Aldridge had “not made any decisions yet. All reports to the contrary are false & he looks forward to sharing his plans soon.”
I’m just going have a wait and see approach.
Anonymous says
Why worry if players dont want to join the Lakers. Just find someone like Robert Upshaw who can be the next whiteside of miami heat. Any guy with body. Any one can be mentored & learn. Specially this season no pressure bacause the young core of lakers are just rookies. Robert Upshaw or anyone can develop faster with no pressure to win rings right away. Just give them playing time.
If no star player signs with the Lakers then no rings to chase anyway. So the best way to move forward is give russell, clarkson, brown, randle, Upshaw lots of playing time & let them take the clutch shots. Confidence in taking clutch shots is the way of rising as super star….
Kobe was like that when young, too many bad shots till he learn to make it.
Sign Andrew Bynum for less! Take a chance.. If bynum succeed, lakers go deep in playoffs. If Phil Jackson might take a chance on bynum so should the lakers! He respects Kobe & he will be more dominant with point guard offense when the floor is spread. People always double team him…
J C says
Excellent piece of writing Darius.
Yes, we don’t mourn the loss of Aldridge at all.
It’s the pattern of rejection of which we should take notice.
Houston’s analytics may be superior but as a coach or GM if I’m asked a question pertaining to analytics that’s over my head, at least I have an answer prepared to address it. Such as, here’s how we view the roster and statistically how we feel you’ll fit in. Analytics don’t need to be fought with more analytics if they’re unavailable. But they need to be met head-on with alternative analysis and strategy.
It’s unlikely that Mitch and company just sat back in their chairs and said, Welcome to LA, see that sunshine outside? I’m sure they had some basketball approaches to discuss. That’s where a guy like Byron, bless his heart, would probably stammer and say, we’re gonna work hard. And that’s where we probably fall short when being measured against most teams in the league. I just have my doubts about Byron selling a basketball program to an intelligent and fairly accomplished high-end free agent.
As far as Kobe attending these meetings goes, Kobe is like a stubborn ghost still haunting the Staples Center knocking over furniture to get attention. He’s kind of the Jacob Marley of the NBA at this point. Haha
J C says
Even without a single free agent addition we will more entertaining and younger. Our young guys will develop more quickly this way as many poster here have pointed out.
Randle
Clarkson
Russell
Kobe and
Upshaw.
Nance and Brown off the bench.
Danny says
It does feel like a fundamental change is required in terms of recruiting strategy, and the overall direction of the team.
On the other side of the coin though, it would be difficult to appease the fans if the Lakers go down the long, patient rebuilding route, given that the Lakers are a glamour franchise. Lakers really have to adopt a rebuild a la Thunder and Warriors.
Lakafan says
I thought Scott had said lots of guys told him they wanna come to the lakers… Ha!
Anyways time to pounce on David lee and make them throw in a future # 1 pick or looney. And sign koufos to a 2 year $10m deal to be your starting center.
14:1 says
Bynum has bad knees and a bad motor. Health was the main reason why he didn’t play. Cap space, no matter how little should not be used on Bynum so that he can watch the game from the front row while wearing a Laker jersey. I can do that for much cheaper. I would take Sacre over Bynum and I’m not a fan of Sacre. At least he is not broken and “able” to contribute.
At this point the lakers need to resign Davis as a backup and try to sign Robin Lopez. We are not contending with DJ so paying him a max contract during a rebuilding phase is a waste of money and cap space. I really don’t see him wanting to sign here. Also I really don’t think I can watch him bricking free throws and go through another period of hacking.
Danny says
We are not contending with DJ so paying him a max contract during a rebuilding phase is a waste of money and cap space. I really don’t see him wanting to sign here. Also I really don’t think I can watch him bricking free throws and go through another period of hacking.
———————————————————————————————————————————
I kinda disagree with your reason of not signing DJ because we are rebuilding. Rebuilding should be a long term thing and we should try as much as possible to get functional pieces before swinging for the fence next season with Durant. Why would Durant want to come next season if our starting centre is Black/Sacre? We might not win a championship this season with DJ but having him would sure strengthen our foundation and also make us attractive.
Chris J says
Someone above suggested the Wheelchair signing would make Jordan more likely to remain a Clipper. My take is that could help drive him off, considering Jordan was unhappy being the third wheel. He’s now behind Griffin, Paul, Pierce and maybe even Redick in the pecking order, so who knows?
Whether they land Jordan or a free agent or not, as was also noted above, this is a multiyear rebuild. For comparison, Golden State finished 10th, 13th, 12th and 13th in the Western Conference over Curry’s first four seasons. That championship roster wasn’t built in one off season.
The Lakers are really sitting on a pile of unknowns today, but a year from now if Clarkson further develops, Randolph plays like an up-and-coming star, and Russell is as good as advertised, then the recruiting process will be so much easier because there would be a young core others would want to join. That’s obviously predicated on these guys being good, but either way, it’ll take time to play out.
Keep in mind, the post-Showtime rebuild wasn’t immediate, either. They added Peeler and Van Exell and Eddie Jones through the draft, traded for Ceballos, and bit by bit, there grew an attractive core for when Shaq became a free agent, and for when further trades were possible to land a Kobe or Horry. We’re still in the early stages of the Lakers’ restocking the cupboard, and in a stacked West, I feel playoff expectations are far-fetched next year, short of a total wild card like LeBron deciding he wants to be a Laker. (Not happening.) Likewise, I also don’t see this being a Bottom Three team unless injuries play hell with the roster next season.
14:1 says
A change in philosophy is definitely needed. Building and cultivating a team organically requires a different approach to player acquisition. The approach should not be to go after big stars like the team is on the precipice of contention. It should be based on plan and blueprint laying out the team’s needs and patiently and smartly addressing those needs.
The Warriors and Spurs are two good examples of this. The Warriors could have traded for Love (the star) but decide to stick with Clay (home grown talent) who fulfilled their need better. We know how that turned out.
If you look at the Spurs development over the last couple of decades, you’ll see that they didn’t to out targetting Stars or hit home runs signings when they needed to retool to extend their contention period. They drafted smartly (Genobli and Parker), developed them, signed and traded for other players, some who turned out to be future comerstones (Leanord) and key role players (Benilli, Diaw, George Hill). They built it smartly and organically filling in the holes, allowing for a cultural development and consistency that prolong their competitive window. They didn’t go out looking or busting the team to sign Melo, Lebron, or Bosh. They are only chasing LMA now because their nucleus is about to retire and a more serious retool to rebuild that foundation.
I would much prefer the FO build organically and watch the team grow into a champion.
14:1 says
Danny, it’s the money. I don’t like the idea of paying him max since it restricts the team financially.
Danny says
I agree with you building organically. I would love to see a core of ‘home grown’ players at the Lakers and we are going in the right direction with Clarkson, Randle and Russell. However, I feel that DJ is the right age and will suit the core perfectly for the next few years at least. My point about getting Durant applies to anyone. We need a strong group of players first and foremost, and we should utilize our resources, whether through free agency or the draft.
Fern says
Dissapointed, but it’s clear to me now that we need to sell a good team, i apreciate the “big thinking” aproach, but we need to put a good product on the floor, we have a promising team on paper, it needs t be shown where it matters. We need to start looking at those second tier free agents and start building a team. If we put a good enough team on the floor the whole process is simpler. We dont need to sell the City, everybody knows what LA can offer. We need to stop being so arrogant thinking “this is the Lakers”
Anonymous says
JD July 1, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Remember post-Magic it took this team 4 years to get back into the playoffs. We as a fan-base are not the most patient bunch but smart teams build year to year and strike when appropriate.
—
The Lakers post-Magic only missed the playoffs one year (93-94), and I’m pretty sure they were the 9th seed that season. I agree that we should be patient, but there’s no comparison.
Fern says
I say we go after Tobias Harris, even with a max salary he would earn 15-16 mill and that leaves plenty of space to bring back Davis with a Jordan Hill type of deal but less money, this is the reality, no big names are coming this summer, and even with his salary on the books we still going to have a ton of salary space next summer. He fits into our youth movement and a team with Russell,Kobe,Harris,Randle and Davis with Clarkson and Young coming of the bench is not a bad proposition. If our youngsters produce we are going to have a dangerous team, contender? No, but it could be very soon, and is a team on the way up, which is what FAs are looking for.
Fern says
I make the comment above based on reports that the Magic would not match a max offer for Harris. Just a disclaimer lol
LakerLord says
Slowly since 2010, everything has deteriorated to this point.
Who could have ever concieved of such a disastrous ending to Kobe’s career? I ‘m sure Dr. Buss must be turning over in his grave now. The current hierarchy proving again to be incompetent and clueless.
And somehow San Antonio continues with stability, I’m deeply saddened by all this.
LakerLord says
Slowly since 2010, everything has deteriorated to this point.
Who could have ever conceived of such a disastrous ending to Kobe’s career? I ‘m sure Dr. Buss must be turning over in his grave now. The current hierarchy proving again to be incompetent and clueless.
And somehow San Antonio continues with stability, I’m deeply saddened by all this.
rr says
Brad Turner ? @BA_Turner
Lakers had GM Mitch Kupchak, Coach Byron Scott at meeding. No Kobe Bryant, and no one from Buss family was there, per source.
@ChrisMannixSI
Source close to DeAndre Jordan calls Lakers presentation “very professional.” Disputes any DJ issue with it. Jordan mulling several options.
Brad Turner ? @BA_Turner
Lakers were “somewhat underwhelming” in presentation with DeAndre Jordan, sources. DJ felt Lakers had been on “whirlwind” last 24 hours.
teamn says
At this point, I think the Lakers need Russel and/or Randle to turn into real stars, players that lure other players. They cannot be seen as “complementary” and waiting for the FA star to come lead them so much as the core that owns the team.
This will take time, but if Russel is who Kupchak and Scott think he is, then there’s hope.
Kimberly says
Thought- should we let GSW and the Pacers dump david lee’s and Roy Hibbert’s contracts to us respectively and get some draft picks etc in return for absorbing them? I think both vets were part of winning cultures- and this should be very helpful for the Rooks. We can’t just have Kobe and Nick be the only vets teaching about professionalism… Can u imagine?
J C says
David Lee and Tobias Harris?
And retain Ed Davis.
That doesn’t sound too bad.
Vasheed says
Kobe tweeted about the poor reporting with what looked liked a plotting child with a horribly cropped meme. I think we will have to wait a week or so to really know. Although I believe the Lakers have the talent pool they need right now. I do feel the Lakers have a free hand to pursue top tier talent.
If the Lakers haven’t signed anyone by next week I would seriously give Harris a look. I do believe the Lakers need a center but short of D. Jordan, maybe R. Lopez, I would likely favor trading for a Center, or a short contract while waiting to see if Upshaw pans out as I think he will barring health issues.
J C says
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/7/1/8880543/kobe-bryant-lakers-nba-free-agency-lamarcus-aldridge-dwight-howard
Shaun says
Id be in on getting lee,hibbert and picks ….or any player and picks ….GS would probably still go fo it …..i dont think indy will…. no point in having cap room anymore this FA period is already pretty much done… who would replace hibbert in Indy now …. also wests comments on Indy were a sign to front offices .. watch what you say publicly , im sure bryons comments on ypung are not helping us
Warren Wee Lim says
DeAndre Jordan’s top 2 choices were always Dallas and LA Clips. So if he doesn’t choose the Lakers, be happy he listened to you.
LaMarcus top choice has always been San Antonio, and they wouldn’t have cleared out Tiago Splitter and fit in Danny Green if not for his sure-arrival. Him picking LA breaks your heart but it shouldn’t, really.
The 2 names that I have been mentioning are Robin Lopez and Ed Davis. Most of star-gazing fans would call this an unsuccessful offseason. You really should re-think strategy in terms of team building if you come out of here not having one or both and here’s why:
1. The team needs time to develop. Buying a high-end free agent now doesn’t really speed up the learning process of Randle, Clarkson and Russell, it removes their ability to learn under the circumstances.
2. We have 2 stud guards, a forward whose game cannot be pigeonholed yet… so what do you lack? A center who can defend, rebound and protect the rim.
3. By signing either or both of RoLo and Boss Ed, your offensive schemes run through the youngsters and Kobe. You still have 22-shots-per-game Kobe lest you forget. There is not enough shots to go around if you play slower and putting Kobe on the pinch post. Better have 2 guys who will scrap the rebound and put it back if/when they are missed.
4. They have no egos. Unlike DJ, who can’t hit a free throw to save his life, they don’t ask to be given attention on offense. This was Dwight’s problem, still is on Houston. Except he’s healthier now that he’s more capable of running, jumping and defending. Chemistry on a team is very important.
5. Last point, they are cheap, but they are important. They play defense. And they prevent you from making a big mistake of signing bigger names who do not fit your team.
So if you ask me, I’m calling Robin Lopez and asking him to sign 44/4 and Ed Davis for 30/4.
Oldtimer says
It appears that the marquee FA’s this season are going: 1. Guaranteed money of 4 or 5 years from their home teams; 2. Wants to join the contender matching their current contract; 3. Analytics on their role with the team, some would like less responsibility, others prefer huge responsibility without improving his innate handicap like FT shooting or defense. In other words, this is a players’ market season and Lakers have nothing to offer but desperation from Buss Family and Kobe’s last year. If you compare it to a country Lakers suddenly became a 3rd world with deficiencies in the last three years and tanking in the last two. We got Randle, Clarkson (by luck) and Russell plus two draft picks but the Lakers records has been damaged. It would take years to build it up and I have faith with Mitch and its fans. I hate tanking and we should not chase the “last 3 draft pick because that means “drought” not rebuilding from bottoms-up but actually diminishing of the Lakers from the playoffs completely. Having said that, maybe we will settle in the bottom 50 per cent in the league but the games have to be played before calling a spade a spade.
After today, if there is no DJ, Monroe go with Plan C. Re-sign Davis at a respectable contract, Black, Hill and recruit the best players in Euro league who were not part of the draft. Start with Team Greece whose economy is in contagion, the team and players will be willing to accommodate our needs at the right price.
I hope the Buss kids learn another lesson from this frustration, Jeanie please junk those overkill and over bearing moves. Good luck.
Mansa says
This is more if a failure on the Lakers not realizing what they are right now. Instead of trying to be the chick trying to fit in her wedding dress from 10 years ago, recognize that you’re not there yet and get it together. These big names shouldn’t have even been targets this year. We just don’t have the person and the city isn’t enough. And I don’t agree with the whole you gotta swing for the fences thing, now we look even worse for striking out.
This was a time to target mid tier free agents and vets to help mentor and build this next year while still remaining somewhat competitive. Tyson Chandler should’ve been the lakers first choice along with Tobias Harris. I Know Tobias isn’t perfect, be he’s also 22 with a lot of promise.
And let’s please stop with the revisionist history. When have the Lakers ever been big players in Free Agency? Shaq was their biggest fish ever signed as a FA, and that had more to do with him being disrespected by Orlando than the Lakers mystique.
I really didn’t want LMA and what is happening now is what I was afraid of. If we would’ve gone after the smaller fish and understand we are building something, then we wouldn’t have this ridiculous perception that we are done hanging over our heads. It’s maddening that the Lakers took this approach yet again.
And for everyone bashing Kobe, please give this dude a break. The Lakers gave him this contract because they are worth billions because of him. I haven’t complained about it one time. And if the Lakers FO were smart, they still could’ve put together a competitive team. It remains to be seen how the rest of the summer shapes up, but honestly, I have no trust whatsoever that this FO knows what their plan is. It seems to me they were just looking at big fish regardless of fit and hoping they landed one.
tankyou says
@WarrenWeelim, Generally think what you said is extremely logical and this free agent season would be a minor success with R. Lopez and Ed Davis, despite most people not being excited about them. Those two guys would instantly provide defense, some shot blocking, and as you stated–don’t require a bunch of touches on offense. With the shot happy squad of guards we have from Kobe, Swaggy, Clarkson, and likely Russell as well–there isn’t much left. Davis is a great finisher and excellent rebounder and was our only real defensive presence last season. Robin Lopez gives us more size and D. If they hang onto them for 4 years they can actually be part of our upswing a couple years from now.
I would not call Clarkson/Russell “stud guards” though–at least not yet. They have to prove themselves, and I include Clarkson in that mix. Clarkson basically got to be Allen Iverson for us at the end of the season, he shot whenever he wanted, some games he barely got any assists despite playing for nearly 40mins. Let’s see how he does with other players that will be controlling the ball more. I still see Clarkson as a good 6th man guy, who definitely can break down defenses on the drive. Make Clarkson our 6th man combo guard, and send Swaggy packing, and get some younger guy even if its just a stop gap. But I would take that Orlando SF as a building block as well. Really not interested in the Randle SF experiment at all.
fern says
If our pups perform as advertised, Randle reportedly being a beast IN PRACTICE and Russell is what Mitch and Co. see in him, the next summer it would be an easier sell, like I said before they could be busts, we don’t know yet. The only way this team will become attractive is by proving it on the court. I see why top FAs would be wary to sign with us, there are to many unknowns, there is a lot of hype but we don’t know yet, nobody knows, a year from now we all could be in awe of Russell and Randle and hail them as the torch bearers, or we are going to be lamenting how much of a busts they are. We don’t know yet. I believe they are going to be difference makers and I have a lot of faith in them but we will see…
kareem says
I’m cosigning Warren’s suggestions. We’d still have a pretty big hole at SF, hoping that A. Brown can fill in in spots. Tobias Harris is still a question mark. And if we get Lopez and/or Davis given where the market seems to be, Harris is unlikely/impossible. This team needs to be competitive at least. The next few years, star players have to see themselves as leading a team that is almost there.
Aaron says
rr,,
Every GM agrees with what the Sixers are doing. The Houston Rockets GM was on ESPNLA 710 and said that it def was the best and most proven way to get to a championship. When asked why he didn’t take that route he quickly changed the subject and said “Well… We haven’t gotten to the Finals yet” He did so because most owners don’t care about championships. They care about money. And it costs a lot of money to tank/rebuild. My philosophy on team building is straight forward and obvious because this a salary cap league where young guys are paid cheaply. You want an example… The Warriors and the Cavs. Both teams got many lottery picks and were able to sign free agents because the cheap lottery picks or trade said lottery picks for all star players. Because the Cavs are in a bad market they had to trade their lottery picks. It’s also a main reason why they lost. They had no depth. The a lakers like the Warriors are in a desirable city. Just trust me and Jerry West. Players want to play with stars and not role players. Iggy wanted to play with Steph Curry and not Draymomd Green. He didn’t even know Green exsisted. And that’s the thing. You can get nice role players in the second round. In free agency. In the first round they are everywhere. It’s hard to find and get a star. That’s why they are so attractive. So scientifically… What is the only thing that can have a gravitational pull on a star… You guessed it.. Another star. If stars wanted a bunch of role players the Celtics would be able to at least get an interview with a free agent this summer.
Aaron says
…imagine if the Warriors didn’t strike out on their big signings.., iggy and Lee. If both those guys didn’t physically breakdown and age they would still be all stars and the Warriors would be a super team.
Imagine if the Cavs were not in Cle? They wouldn’t have had to trade wiggins for Love. They could have kept wiggins and signed Love this summer. Of course I would have went after Aldridge instead 😉 and that’s the thing. Everybody is trying to attract stars with other stars. The more max slots available the better pitch you have. Do you hear teams pitching a max free agent on two other max slots? Or for six other role players to fit into that same cap space? Now the best thing is to have a star player(s) on a cheap rookie deal and cap space for multiple max players. And that’s what the Lakers might have up their sleeve next summer. If Randle us the player I think he is. After losing all that weight and removing that screw from his foot.
fern says
@Kareem, the reason I think Harris is a possibility is because Orlando reportedly would not match a max offer, and frankly, question mark or not he is an upgrade over Wesley (overseas) Johnson. I do agree with everything Warren said.
bluehill says
I’m not upset that we missed out these UFAs because I don’t think they’ll make that much of a difference in a longer-term rebuild, but agree that the FO’s approach seems kind of amateurish or maybe something that works on a high school player being recruited by colleges. Also agree with points people have made about improving the product on the court. I’m hoping that rumors about the presentations to FAs are wrong or exaggerated. I do think the FO and ownership have a perception issue about their professionalism and whether they have keeping up with changes in the game as well as the needs of today’s players.
fern says
When the new cap goes in effect, a current max offer to a player like Harris is going to look like a bargain compared to the massive overpaying that is going to happen. I would not be surprised to see 15 to 20 mill a year to players with less talent than him.
Craig W. says
With Milsap resigning with ATA, I suspect the Magic will go higher on Harris. I sign on with Warren.
T. Rogers says
It looks like Monroe is off the table. Apparently going to the Bucks according to Woj.
Let’s just get to the summer league already. Free agency is shaping up to be a bust.
Shaun says
I can’t even feels anymore ……
What was the FOs plan here?
Last year did we really think we were going to get lebron or melo …. and we let pau walk and low and behold pau was an allstar this year. …and we ended up going with plan c – signed hill to a big contract, got lin via trade, boozer amnesty, davis on the cheap …. thought we would be competitive
We werent amd injuries had a big thing to do with it but still …. we ended up on plan c
Now this year … draft was a bust … we needed a center not a guard …hopefully upshaw pans out (we need to sign him outroght asap
T. Rogers says
Monroe passed on playing in both New York and Los Angeles to go to Milwaukee. I really hope the FO is getting the message here. Winning and the culture of the team TODAY matters. No amount of sunshine will make up for dysfunction and archaic thinking about basketball.
One thing that stuck out to me in the Aldridge aftermath is the how the failure to go all in on analytics can be a thorn in the Lakers side. They want free agents. Free agents come from other teams, most of whom have truly embraced the analytics movement. Analytics is not just the language of GM’s. It is quickly becoming the language of players as well. The Lakers can’t expect to connect to quality free agents on a basketball level if they aren’t speaking the current language of NBA basketball.
Darius Soriano says
TRogers,
There are reports that neither the Lakers nor the Knicks offered Monroe a max salary contract. The Bucks did. This isn’t to discount the other things you said about culture and winning environments as I too think those things matter. But Monroe, specifically, has gambled on himself from a financial standpoint, to the point of taking the qualifying offer last year, to set himself up to cash in and get a max deal. He got it from the Bucks and took a 3 year deal with an opt-out after year two should he want to try and cash in again. In other words, I think money mattered to Monroe.
T. Rogers says
Thanks for the clarification. My emotions are getting ahead of me. You can delete that post if you want since the information is incorrect.
Shaun says
Only r lopez and t harris left on darius’s list
…dont think they are coming either …. we completely struck out
Got to see Kobe in detroit last year before he got injured …. guy did not care … kept to himself the whole game …. his face and heart this year …after this … man … bryron gonna go down as worst coach in lakers history … mitch may get replaced if okafor turns out to be a stud
Since all the rules have beem written against us, and the veto screwed us, shouldnt we be trying to level the playing field on our terms
We lost dwight partially to the fact that money was not that big of am issue due to local state taxes …. why not consider those as part of the cap …. you have 5 teams in florida amd texas that have an unfair advantage on everyone else in the league …. their caps should chance to create parity … all this talk of the LA bogeyman in the last agreement has now turned out to be complete bullshit … all because of 1 signing in shaq …. veto my ass since they sent him right back to LA with a different team
Ugh …… so josh smith, hill, amd ed davis are our options …. i say screw over houston and overpay josh and brewer on 1-2 year deals ….fuck dwight
George says
Not sure what the FO wanted to accomplish this off-season — as they have nothing to show for their efforts. Spending precious time and energy on free agents that aren’t good fits or won’t come is a really on the FO. You’ve got to understand your needs but also temper that with knowing who makes sense to pursue (who will come).
If Jeanie is truly in charge she has to realize that the organization has a lot of deficiencies and that most of them are on the Operations side of the equation. How long does she allow Jim to continue in his high profile role when he apparently adds little value?
T. Rogers says
According to Howard Beck (not sure how credible he is since I’m not very familiar with him), Monroe met with the Bucks, Knicks, Lakers, and Blazers and all were offering the max. Monroe chose the Bucks because they were the most playoff ready.
Oldtimer says
I was just wondering how can you get good analytics from two successive tanking season? FA’s looked for comfort zone of two and three superstars, we have two last season both injured and dilapidated on their last season. From the get go we have nothing to offer except the past glories and new untried big shots. Love is gone so is Monroe. Aldridge and DJ are almost goner, can we withdraw our offers and proceed to Plan C by resigning our own before they are pirated by other teams too? Basically, the reason they bid low on Monroe because they offered the cap shoot to LA. FO is avoiding luxury so they go on budget for Monroe and reserve for contingencies on three marquee players joining simultaneously, Lakers got zero instead on Day 2.
It is not the end of the world, settle for D League and Euro League. Lower the ambition and set the objective on what is realistic based on the changing times. Don’t imitate but innovate Jimbo and let Mitch run the franchise.
lil pau says
what i want (revised, post LMA edition):
1 Sign T Harris.
2. Resign Ed Davis.
3. A Kupchak tell-all autobiography.
I’ll take one out of three. Failing that, I’ll take a couple of vintage Kobe performances and call it even.
Question: is Xavier Henry out of play? Was his injury so severe that he’s essentially done? I thought he played quite well in stretches, but never hear his name anymore. (I get that the big dominos fall first, so maybe he’s just waiting for his turn at the plate.)
In other news… I really hope Perk comes the Clips to join the Wheelchair and that odious Blake Griffin so, in the absence of a team I can unconditionally love, at least I can have one I can unconditionally hate. Maybe they can bring in Rondo, Tim Thomas, Raja Bell and a couple of the villains from Space Jam as well.
Justin says
@Mansa Yes Shaq was the last big free agent to sign, but the Lakers have been a draw up until 2011. Pau wanted to be traded to the Lakers, Kobe forced his way to the Lakers on draft night, heck look at Okafor’s face when he saw Russell get drafted by the Lakers. The big reason the Lakers were a draw was that they paid their players. Things changed with the CBA (and it was clearly written against the Lakers specifically). Money is now equal across the board. So FA have shifted to wanting to play for contenders (and the last time the Lakers were contenders was…2011). Lakers will be fine once Russell (if) and Randle (another if) become stars and lead the team to the playoffs. Then FA will see it as their chance to make a big name for themselves by restoring the Lakers. So I agree with everything except that they weren’t a FA draw (until 2011).
Shaun says
According to woj – knicks about to sign robin lopez …. taking the last domino off the board
Can we trade russell for okafor straight up?
Generational center …. no thanks lets go with a guy who cant get his shot up against athletes
Well the good news is that with their trade yesterday philly might actually be better than the lakers giving us a shot at keeping our #1 pick
They wouldnt do this because it would kill our ratings but we should almost buy out Kobe … he’s done after this season or he is gonna go somewhere else like eveyone else has done
Anon says
I don’t get it. It seems there’s a lot of panic premised on the belief that we are “blowing it” at convincing free agents to come here. Suddenly, the fact that we had a bad season (hence the fact we got the #2 pick) seems to be entirely forgotten and people seem to think this is 2001.
Let’s be honest with ourselves:
It was widely believed before the draft that LA would go to the Spurs (strongly believed, I might add), so while we all would have loved to have convinced him otherwise, the fact that he ended up going where 99% of people thought he would go should not come as a surprise. Fact is, guy is on the wrong side of 30 and if a chance at championship is what he wants right now, then the Spurs are the right choice as they are in line for 1 to 2 more shots in the near term.
Kevin Love did what 100% of pundits thought he would do: opt out and resign with the Cavs.
As far as Monroe, the Lakers and Knicks did the smart thing by offering him less than the max. Monroe did the smart thing by going after the max. Given his limited skillset, he chose the cash out option. Its hard to hate on that.
As far as DJ, well, prior to the draft it was widely believed that he would go either to the Clippers or his hometown Mavs. The Lakers are in the hunt, but getting the #2 pick will not magically erase his preference to remain a Clipper or become a Mav.
Finally, for those thinking we need to change the FO entirely, please think carefully about what you are asking. This is a lottery team with lots of young but unproven talent. I do not care who you put in the FO, that is not going to change. Those of you who were calling for Phil just two years ago should carefully look at whether that change in the FO resulted in the immediate dividends a lot of people here were convinced would occur if Phil replaced Jim. The Knicks arein a rebuilding spot and free agents are not rushing out to sign to play alongside an aging ballhog with teammate issues. Just like the Lakers. You bring in a new team to head the FO and marquee players will be more likely to want to avoid the uncertainty of a new management structure just as they are smart to wait around and see where this new young core of the Lakers is in 2 or more years. Like it or not, our best chance at a short path to redemption lies in the hands of Mitch and Jim. That may infuriate some of you, but deep down you know it is the truth.
Right now
Aaron says
Very surprised the Knicks were smart enough to not offer Monroe a max deal
Kevin says
FO setting up for a big fail next off season as well. There’s not a lot of top tier talent available. Everyone’s target, Durant, will be able to pick from every team in the league as the cap will go up significantly. Heck, he might even be able to join Lebron in Clv if he wanted to.
The Lakers goal this off season should have been to add young talent to the current mix so that the team could make enough progress this next year to be attractive to future elite FAs. However, because we have botched (so far) free agency we’ll have a team that will make marginal on court progress next year. The Lakers, will more likely be in line to keep their top three pick than to start knocking on the playoff door. That fact alone means that a 29 year old Durant is going to look elsewhere.
Adding nothing to this year’s team is not some wise tactic to save space for next year. There’s less pickings next year. Plus the odds of keeping our pick are low. We all better hope that our young players progress because we could be looking at essentially the same core two years from now.
The only silver lining is that the Lakers will not reach the competitive benchmarks that Jim has outlined as being necessary for him to keep his job.
R says
I don’t think the CBA restricts how teams spend on “infrastructure” like analytics, scouting, training and medical support.
If the Lakers are lacking in those areas their supposed cash flow advantage could be put to work in those areas if appropriate.
CHearn says
At this juncture, guys allow meetings with the Lakers for archival reference. Their reputations as players warranted the Lakers recruiting them, but turned the team down for better options or money from other suitors. Their refusal will net a sentence or two in Wikipedia. The list of players rejecting the brand is growing like bacteria under a Petri dish.
Darius Soriano says
T. Rogers,
Beck is very credible. Thing is, though, is it is clear he got his information from Monroe’s agent. The information from Bresnahan claiming no max was offered likely came from the Lakers’ side. Depend on who you want to believe, really.
Nick says
Dan Feldman is reporting we didn’t offer Monroe a max offer. Unless they’re hitting Tobias Harris with that money, that is pure stupidity.
What are you reserving cap for? Kevin Durant? So you can create another stupid #hashtag marketing ploy, and be utterly shocked and blindsided when you get ruled out?
We are acting like 15&10 players grow on trees at the age of 24. Monroe is a max player, and regardless about any of our opinions, the market proved that.
The Buss kids should probably sell the team, and I don’t think that is really such an over-reaction, when your sole concern has been clearing cap space and hyping up free agency, and then you fail two years in a row… You need to evaluate how good you are at your job. The only good basketball move that has been made was getting lucky in the lottery, and then we might have blown it taking a chance on Russell – still unknown, he might be good, but we all know there is big-time bust potential there.
Monroe at $16M in a league with a rising salary cap is a steal. So much potential there.
Keith says
If social media is the new pulse of the nation then Jim and Jeanie should take notice of the Twitter threads leading up to the Aldridge meeting. The sentiment was overwhelming in that Jim should stay away. The bottom line is that he’s not an asset and should stay at the kiddie table.
He and Jeanie should step aside and become owners and not owner/operators. They need to hire talented people to get this back on track. They can still have strategic input but tactically they are not up to the task. The business is failing and they don’t even know it.
Vasheed says
At this moment I’m mostly interested in SF’s and Centers.
The Lakers are already fairly packed at PF with Randle, Nance, Black, and Kelly. Any significant money would be wasted for anything other than an All-Star.
At SF we only have A. Brown and likely as things are Bryant plugging this hole. The position is relatively open so pretty much any signing would be welcome. I would think of Gerald Green as a safe bet or Harris if the FO wants to go all out.
At Center the Lakers Have Upshaw, Sacre and Black. I’ve been really high on Upshaw for a while. I felt he was one of the top 3 centers in the Draft. I’m not all that worried about his personal issues. I’m more owrried about his heart. Will the Lakers be able to keep him on the court. If he is healthy though Upshaw will really help turn things around. I’m a little be wary of over committing to a center other than Jordan. I think the Lakers should fill the need here through a trade.
At PG between Clarkson, Russell, and even J. Brown I think this is covered. Just add another rook or other min salary guy as back up possibly.
At SG of course there is still Kobe, Russell and CLarkson should spend some time here, there is also Young still with the Lakers and J. Brown who looked very promising last year. I don’t see any critical issues to address here.
I still see landing an all-star as a priority this year as the Lakers actually do have talent to speak of this year. If not I don’t see a reason to panic and commit to bad contracts. I think a reasonable signing at SF would be desirable and I think the Lakers need a Plan B at Center . Do not sign mediocre players to expensive long term contracts.
Michael says
It seems DeAndre Jordan is also close to being taken off the market. Thank goodness the front office didn’t offer Monroe a max contract. Glad the Bucks signed him. Now let’s go after Robin Lopez and end this madness.
LKK says
One thing…on the surface it appears that Okafor would have been a more attractive front court match with LMA. Still SMH that the Lakers, in desperate need of a center, passed on the big guy. Amazing! Now it appears the team has lost Ed Davis as well. Incremental improvement as opposed to the Big Bang would have been fine with me. You can small ball me all you want, but you’ve got to have some sort of presence in the middle. The game hasn’t changed that much. Who the hell is our center??
LKK says
@tank you…
Completely agree with your take on Ed Davis and Robin Lopez. I’m no capologist but it seems to me the team could have made offers to both of these guys and still had room for Tobias Harris if they could jettison Nick Young’s contract. You have got to crawl before you walk. Portland improved tremendously with Lopez. He’s not a bad player and he’s huge.