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Links from the Forum: Kobe, Hibbert and the Kids

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Happy Monday, everybody. Here are some of the best Lakers-centric reads from around the web:

Our sports marketing guys have a very clear strategy of who they feel possesses that type of quality to be a signature guy within the Nike roster. For us, from the footwear side, it made sense, because we have these silos that you’ll every now and then see in a Nike store: Electric Quickness, Explosive Power and Dynamic Versatility.

KD is in the middle, with the Dynamic Versatility. Explosive Power is of course LeBron, and Kobe at his pinnacle has really exemplified Electric Quickness. We felt like, “Well, Kobe is going to retire, and obviously his game is very different now.”

Kyrie really was a sharp point for Electric Quickness. He exemplified that notion of speed in multi-directions. It was awesome to have that kind of player that could be one of the muses for that silo. It worked out great in that way. Each guy has their own lane, which is kind of nice.

Lakers’ Schedule for the Week:

  • The week kicks off a week full of LA match-ups against the Mavericks on Tuesday, January 26th (7:30 pm PST, NBA TV and TWCSN). Next, the Bulls come into town in the first of a back-to-back on Thursday, January 28th (7:30 pm PST, TNT) before a pseudo-road matchup against the Clippers on Friday, January 29th (7:30 pm PST, NBA TV and TWCSN). LA then closes out the week on Sunday, January 31st (7:30 pm PST, TWCSN) at home against the Hornets.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gary says

    The Lakers have fallen to 30th, dead last, in Stein’s ESPN Weekly Power Rankings. The first time this year, I believe, that the Lakers have been last.

    This year has got to be the bottom, right? I’m referring to the old recovery analogy that you can’t move forward until you’ve hit rock bottom.

  2. Anonymous says

    Anyone have any insight into what is going on at Lakers headquarters? Just curious as to the working dynamic of the Lakers top brass. Do Jeanie, Jim and Mitch meet in person on a regular basis or do Jim and Mitch meet regularly in person or mostly on the phone?

    I guess I just want to know if our leadership is working hard or not. I had heard stories that Jeanie and Jim are rarely in the office. Not saying you can’t accomplish everything via phone, etc — I hope that they are focused on making this situation better.

    Aside from the kids our team is pretty bad.

  3. Anonymous says

    Anon: I had heard the same thing about Jeanie and Jim. Not sure if its true or not though.

    In Jim’s case, I’m sure Mitch is more of an in the office guy and would apprise Jim of opportunities that come up which might fit the overall objectives of the team. That’s one of the perks of being an owner — he’s hired Mitch to do the leg work.

  4. BigCitySid says

    – “Anyone have any insight into what is going on at Lakers headquarters?” Team is on the verge of a mutiny.

    – Would really be interested to know how free agents to be who can make a difference view this Lakers season?

  5. Mid-Wilshire says

    Sid,

    Free Agents-to-be will probably be evaluating the Lakers’ young core and making judgments re: their future development. I say this because they’ve actually played against them. And they know how good they are…or aren’t.

    Of course, the Lakers’ core players are a moving target. There’s a good chance that DAR will be a better player next year. Julius Randle, too. How much better? Impossible to tell. But there should definitely be some progress. At their age, there always is…to one degree or another.

    If I were a future FA, I’d think back to my nights against Clarkson, Russell, and Randle and try to project things out. That’s probably what the next group of FAs will be focusing on. And they’ll be experts on the topic because they’ve actually played against the Lakers.

    So the 2nd half of the season will be a good chance for the Lakers’ young players to show well against Derozen, Whiteside, Batum, and others. It will be a sales pitch, of sorts, whether the Lakers’ young players know it or not.

    In that sense, the 2nd half of the season could actually be important.

  6. Todd says

    Would really be interested to know how free agents to be who can make a difference view this Lakers season?
    __

    Free agents that can make a difference, who are available this summer, probably crossed the Lakers off their list a long while ago. No surprise there.

    The Lakers need to make significant progress in the talent acquisition and coaching areas this summer. Then they need to translate those improvements into a lot more wins next year in order to be more attractive to free agents who can make a difference in the summer of 2017.

    Other than drafting the kids there hasn’t been a foundational young talent acquired by the FO these past two summers. I get that Jim is playing for the home run but certainly Mitch knows how to build a roster.

    You go from Russell, Randle, Clarkson and Nance — the oldest of which is 23 all the way to a 30 year old Williams — to get to the youngest veteran playing significant minutes. If you want a reason why elite FAs are bypassing the Lakers its because the kids are young/unproven and the vets are older/average. There are no young vets who have any upside on this roster.

    This has been a problem for two straight years and yet it has been un-addressed by the FO. Its simply poor roster construction.

  7. Clay Bertrand says

    I don’t want to be the team that gave the MAX to Batum & Whiteside because no one else took our money………Or the Team that is STUCK with Byron Scott because all the DECENT coaches took BETTER JOBS.

    Durant would go to the Knicks before he’d ever come here:
    Knicks:
    Cap Space (tho perhaps not enough for a MAX deal),
    Great Basketball city and fans,
    HUGE MARKET,
    Very reputable Front Office already in Place with a SEMBLANCE OF A DIRECTION,
    An Aging Perennial 2nd tier MVP Candidate in Melo,
    A 7 ft. Rookie of the Year candidate in Porzingis,
    A Young Head Coach who PLAYED in 2014 with Durant that he still keeps in touch with.

    Lakers:
    Tons of Cap Space,
    Great Basketball city and fans,
    HUGE MARKET,
    Front Office that appears disjointed to say the least w/ NO SEMBLANCE OF A DIRECTION,
    5 Largely Unproven 2nd and 3rd year players after this season,
    A TERRIBLY OUT MATCHED Coach who seems to be only useful for LOSING on purpose and doling out special treatment to Vets while dumping on Rookies and refusing to TEACH anything.

    OH but the Lakers also do have their Ace in the Hole:
    Super Fan ADAM LEVINE to do recruiting Instagrams.

    How many NBA players does ADAM LEVINE appeal to??????? I will answer that for you: Fewer than ZERO.

  8. Marques says

    I am torn,.I watch a lot of basketball. I can’t understand why our young players are having effort problems, that’s usually a veteran issue. I would love to blame B Scott, but he harps on it every game and it’s getting no better.

    Secondly, how much stock do you put in numbers attained during garbage time…..especially when our games hit garbage time before halftime.

    Lastly, I am scared of the draft, drafting a big rim protector is no longer viable, and all the top players are combo guards or point guards……

    • KevTheBold says

      Marques, no reason to single out our kids. Think war. A seige. The castle walls have holes in several places where enemies keep rushing through.

      You soon realize that it makes no difference how hard you fight because your back isn’t covered.

      The kids can always learn, but they need a solid result, which currently, they are not getting.

      Don’t also gloss over the non garbage time stats which are many.

  9. Fern says

    All this talk about “mutiny” and all that bs is ridiculous, Randle and Russell are rookies and have no clout whatsoever to stage a “mutiny”, second and more important a “mutiny” would only happens over Kobe’s dead body, like everybody here i have no clue of the inner workings of the team but im pretty sure about this. I mentioned already who would be my choice once we get rid of Byron, you put the right coach and staff in place that goes a long way in convincing whoever FAs the Lakers would pursue. Like i been saying, this summer we should start building a team around these kids and forget about Durant or any other home run signing, unless there is an aligment like Boston in ’07 or Miami in ’10. Looks like we will have a shot at keeping that pick after all *sigh*.

  10. Fern says

    And about that “controversy” about Kobe calling out Russell and Randle? I could care less, Kobe is a 12 time All Defense team selection, and in his prime he could score 40+ points and lock down his man at the same time he was as elite on defense as they come, so they need to listen. Im pretty satisfied with these kids development so far but they need to work a lot on their defense. Calling them out it’s not about this lost season, is about the future…

  11. Clay Bertrand says

    Fern, agreed. No Saviors on the realistic horizon. The TRUE Laker fans will enjoy the organic development. I personally have my interest trail off when the guys who are not long for this team are “playing.” Whenever they show the starting line up pics, its:

    KOBE–Gone
    HIBBERT–Gone
    Lou Williams–Gone/or Off the Bench
    Jordan Clarkson–PG??SG?? Who knows. We wasted this year NOT finding that out.
    Randle–???????????? Byron will bench him soon enough again so who can say??

    That’s 60% of our STARTING LINE UP that is COMPLETELY BOGUS—–WILL NEVER BE SEEN HERE after April (save for Lou possibly off the bench).
    Oh but the Bench is better right?? Lotsa Keepers???? Uhh NO. We have Kelly, Sacre, Huertas, Metta, who WILL BE GONE too. Likely so will TARIK!!!! SO we ONLY need to fill about 66% of the ENTIRE ROSTER with our cap money. SO many guys will be gone.

    With any luck, so will the Coach.
    We had BETTER get lucky enough to keep our pick!!!! It may be the ONLY good news around for another year in terms of talent additions from the outside. If NOT, its ALL on the current little group of Young fellas who already have worn tired of their schizo coach and his OLD MAN treatment, double talk, and double standards all the time.

  12. Clay Bertrand says

    It’ll be interesting to see if Byron reps us at the Draft Lottery draw. That would be a HUGE indicator of whether he is gonna be back or not. If they don’t can him relatively early after exit meetings WE WILL BE STUCK WITH HIM. I think that’s a GRAVE concern to say the very least.

  13. Mid-Wilshire says

    Clay,

    I don’t see Byron being kept on. The fans don’t want him. The players probably don’t either. And his record sucks.

    I think the writing is on the proverbial wall.

  15. R says

    The Warriors on the other hand look pretty legit. So far tonight they don’t look the least bit troubled by Pop’s suspected head game of holding Duncan out.

  16. KO says

    I read lot of same same same. As if Lakers live in there own universe.

    Breaking news. Utah, Minnesota, Philadelphia, New York, Boston all younger teams with more talent then the Lakers. Not even talking about the other teams with solid players and winning records.

    Only team with as dismal future as Lakers is Jersey. Spend some time watching these other young teams. Talent is better and they actually have 1st and 2nd rounders.

    The entire league is more talented and I bet not one would trade its roster and drafts next year other then Jersey.

    Hate to break the news but this team is 3 or 4 years away from catching up.

    TW may have to sell ads in exchange for hover boards and TMZ Tours.

  17. Fern says

    They are going to cach up quicker than that KO, Philadelphia has more talent than the Lakers? I dont think so, Boston and New York play in weaker conferences and they have been rebuilding for a longer time, same as Minnesota who is in our conference and is still strugling, the Wolves is the team with actual more younger talent than the Lakers in my opinion. Like i been saying, this team could rebuild a lot quicker if we get surrounding pieces that complement the foundation that is taking shape. Despite all the gripes that one can have with the FO, we have drafted 5 players that can help this team. We need to build around them instead of dreaming about assembling championship teams overnight. I could not give a crap about tv ratings
    and TW, they and the Lakers are married, so they stuck for the next 20 years, what i care is that they give us a pretty good broadcast. And about Byron, if the Lakers end up with the worst record of all time for a second reason oh yeah, they got to fire him…

  18. Gary says

    Fern — I know you are optimistic but before we simply look for ‘surrounding pieces that complement the foundation’ we should determine how good they really are. My thoughts on the kids:

    – Russell is the real deal and has a chance to be special
    – Clarkson is best as a PG where his size is elite — not so much as a SG. Is he a starter or a 6th man?
    – Randle is a huge question mark. He has no range outside the key and no off hand.
    – Nance is a rotation guy unless you load up the lineup with elite teammates where his complementary skills shine. But he’s not a star.
    – Brown is a rotation guy.

    I see us having one elite out of those 5 in Russell. Right now Clarkson is an average starter with limited upside. Randle could be great or could be a one dimensional player (rebounding). Nance and Brown are rotation guys.

    I think we may need to add more than complementary players. Plus most of the teams that KO identified have more assets than the Lakers do. Not only does Philly, Boston and Minnesota have nice young talent — they have draft picks and vets with some value. Lots of flexibility that the Lakers don’t have.

    Again, I appreciate your optimism — but we’re 9-37. We’ve got more questions than answers.

  19. rr says

    I made the point in preseason that if you look at roster/picks/FO/coach/ the Lakers are in arguably the worst shape of any franchise in the game, with the arguable exception of Brooklyn (or as KO likes to call them, Jersey) so I agree with KO’s post. What Hinkie is doing in Philadelphia may or may not lead to the promised land, but the 76ers do have a huge number of picks coming over the next four years, so they are probably in better shape than the Lakers are. With the Chandler gambit having seemingly failed and Bledsoe injured again, Phoenix is in pretty bad shape, but they are not down picks AFAIK.

    I think R’s post is a little harsh, but I also think it makes a good point. Right now, Randle and Clarkson just look like they will be OK, and Nance Jr., Black, and Brown look like role players. Nothing wrong with that, but it always circles back to the same thing: Russell needs to be an All-Star, and the Lakers will need to add 2-3 high end players And will need 2-3 years or more if they get back to being a good team.

    I have heard the counters—they are posted every day: Randle and Clarkson have more upside than people think, Russell is going to be awesome, Byron and Kobe are huge detriments to the development of the young guys. I actually am a big supporter of Russell and I hope and believe that Scott should/will be replaced—but this is going to be a long, hard road, barring major, unforeseen things occurring.

    A few people have already suggested that the Lakers FO should focus on FA more in ’17 than ’16. I see the reasoning, but I also think that Whiteside and DeRozan are guys to look hard at, as there is context that could conceivably actually put the Lakers in play for them, unlike Durant and probably Horford.

  20. T. Rogers says

    “The Warriors on the other hand look pretty legit. So far tonight they don’t look the least bit troubled by Pop’s suspected head game of holding Duncan out.”
    —
    The Warriors are coached by a guy who played under Pop for 4 years. Kerr has great insight into how Pop thinks. Plus, the Spurs tactics are almost as old as they are. Teams are getting numb to Pop’s leave a key player out tactic. Duncan would have made little difference anyway. And the Warriors know that.

  21. Vasheed says

    rr nice post,

    I have found our F.O. to have some rather conflicting beliefs. Before last years draft Mitch had said he felt it would be hard to bring in multiple rookies at once. Developing rookies can be difficult. Developing multiple rookies even harder and it is not a guarantee that every rookie develops as intended. So before the draft Mitch had been looking to deal away picks. However, recently when talking about potential trades Mitch had said most inquiries where about our young players but the Lakers were very adverse to trading away their young players.

    I believe the Lakers need to balance out their roster. Trade away some of their rookies. Get a few more predictable production guys. Bring in guys who can play defense. Don’t have half the players on your team play the same position.

    I think there has been far too much emphasis on keeping cap space to sign all-stars, and betting on the lottery pick. At some point the team needs a “core” and considering the time frame the Lakers have given themselves thats not going happen through organic development of multiple rookies.

  22. Marques says

    Russell might be an all star one day, but no time soon. If we are lucky 2022 he makes it for our team.

    Too many young stars already, and we are not close to winning.

  23. KO says

    Thanks rr and Vasheed for mentions.

    Perception
    Lakers fans sometimes view things in a small, not big picture view
    .
    As do Americans
    Gas prices are way down!
    If 70% of USA oil companies go BK what will the price be from Opec then?

    Smog is so much better in my town when manufacturing closed!
    And worse in World History in China.

    But China makes cheap products!
    And between welfare, unemployment and disabilty 95 million Americans don’t work.

    Making pot legal has stopped Cartel from importing it to the USA!
    And heroin use is at a all time high in this country brought in by same cartel.

    So again in clearly a small way Lakers perception is also based on tunnel vision.

    We have more young players then ever!
    Because the older ones stink and not one of those young guys can start for 28 teams in the current NBA.

    Perception. Is bigger then block you live on!

  24. Robert says

    FO: All planning and off season decisions need to be made in the context of the “Promise”. Two schools of thought: 1) Nothing the FO says is to be believed and this is an example of such along with “Playoffs” and “Turn the Corner”. They just say these things to manipulate season ticket holders and such. 2) They do mean what they say even though they often need to back peddle. I firmly believe it is number two. Jim meant what he said when he said it and so did Jeanie. There was no “context”. It was a promise and Jeanie stated accountability. That said, it is only one year away. There is no way the promise can be kept (we are not making the WCF next year). So – do we let the current FO attempt in vain to hire a new coach and sign FA? Or should we put a moratorium on that and mostly ride things out? Or should we end this and make all the changes (including the FO) in the summer of 16? Is this Robert just FO bashing? No – these are legitimate questions. And no – we do not know the answers. And speculation as to what the FO may or may not do is completely futile without those answers (please do not stop however – cause I enjoy the discussion – as it is the most important thing facing the Lakers).

  25. rr says

    Marques,

    I meant All-Star level guy–I am not that focused on whether he makes the team one day.

  26. Mid-Wilshire says

    Yesterday the Golden State Warriors routed the San Antonio Spurs.

    I hope Greg Popovich doesn’t get fired.

  27. rr says

    FO/Timeline: In his interview early in the year, Jim more or less asked for an extension on the timeline through 2017-18. I think it is reasonable to give the FO a couple of more years; I also think it is reasonable to want them out at the end of this year. Kobe is retiring, and so is Vitti. Scott will almost certainly be gone, Mitch is over 60, and most of Jim’s big decisions haven’t worked out at all. There will be plenty of cap space. Getting rid of Jim and Mitch would be a way to hit the reset button in all areas.
    That said, my own opinion is that Jeanie should probably either change out the FO at the end of the season (presuming that she can really do that) or give them through 2018 then re-visit. The Lakers are obviously not going to make the WCF next year, even if the FO has a great off-season, so the idea that Jim will be canned if they don’t hit that mark is silly. If the team makes real progress next year, then canning the FO after that based on Jim’s ill-advised statements would not be wise. Either you really want to give the FO more chances or you have seen enough. So, I think that the FO should get an extension and render Jim’s first statement mostly inoperative (I think he said three or four years, IIRC) or the plug should be pulled in April.
    The other option would be to publicly reset of the benchmark with vague language, something like we need to see significant progress this year. I expect that is what Jeanie will do, but I don’t necessarily see it as the best path.

  28. BigCitySid says

    – NEVER had less faith in the Laker FO/ownership than I do now. Just wondering if I’m alone on this? Has anyone here EVER felt the FO/ownership was more dysfunctional than it is now? If so when?

  29. Anonymous says

    Robert you are correct, this off season could be a disaster. The Jim Buss FO is under the gun. There is a real risk that these guys make desperate moves that set the franchise back.

    Jeanie says she doesn’t understand player personnel decisions — so she might just let this play out. Jim might blow this thing up by trading for Carmelo (we need a star, don’t we) and signing Horford (missing two of the last four seasons due to injury isn’t a bad thing is it?).

    Suddenly all the pain of losing we’ve just endured would have been for nothing we’d be back to treading water, waiting for older injured stars to roll off the payroll.

    It would be nice if she had a strong hand and said, “Jim, its over — its time to just be an owner. You can finish out the year but we’re not going to make any major player moves. I’m going to let the new President of Basketball Operations make all future player personnel decisions starting the moment the Lakers 2016/17 season has ended.”

  30. Anonymous says

    If a stranger were to read the comments section here He/she would get the impression this team is named the LA Clippers of the 80s. Too bad it’s only – literary – about 5 posters whose sole life mission seems to come in here and put the team and ownership down. Is this team and FO perfect? Gosh, no but you guys take it to an extreme level. No need to mention who the five posters are. Just review the last 4 articles posted in this site and you will see the same negative comments over and over and over. Hell, one particular guy has this uncanny ability to turn every conversation on an anti Jim buss comment.. Concerned about bad coaching decisions? Jim’s fault for hiring him. kobe injury woes? Jim’s fault for signing him. The weather is bad? Well, somehow Jim has to be to blame. Pathetic, repetive comments are sinking this site. Darius, I urge you to start banning folks. This has gotten way out of hand.

  31. LKK says

    @Robert…
    I for one can’t envision Jim Buss stepping down next year in a noble fashion:
    Will he hold a press conference and say, “I have failed, I relinquish my duties and hope that others can succeed where I could not”? I can better picture him waffling and weasling his way out of his “promise”. It sets up the potential for even more organizational discord.

  32. Clay Bertrand says

    BigCitySid,

    I think we are all guilty of OVER judging every aspect of the Lakers. I will be the first to admit I question what they do and really pick apart what they SAY.

    That said, the Lakers seem to operate much like the Oakland Raiders did under Al Davis in terms of working in a murky secrecy. The Raiders HQ were run like the Kremlin under Al Davis. VERY LITTLE real information ever seeped out and people were often left guessing and just reading and reacting to what the Raiders did to try to make sense of it. Stories were built on rumors and half truths mixed with what few facts DID get out to try to paint the picture of how the Raider operated.

    The Lakers FO, for all the information we are starved for and WANT to believe actually TRUE, lets very little MATERIAL INFORMATION reach the fans. We hear bits and pieces of what goes on and how things work day to day and we feast on rumor, innuendo and countless renditions of the COMPANY LINE thinking someone is telling us something we should believe.

    Jim Buss, from all reports prefers to operate in complete Stealth mode. The CP3 trade came out of nowhere. Pau was never rumored to be coming to LA. Its not like days of smoldering smoke before we see a real fire occur.

    We should not necessarily interpret lack of information to be lack of activity (although admittedly, I do wonder aloud myself quite a bit at times).

    This team is rebuilding. Its NOT a quick fix situation. No one rebuilds from the bottom to the top of in 3 years. The greatest mistake in dealing with the fans has been the FO LEADING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE that they will improve much sooner than logic and history would tell you is possible.

    The FO (Jim Buss) is NOT required to make promises of success or put timelines on the unknown future. Foolishly, he did. BUT HE IS THE TEAM’s OWNER!!! I don’t see anyone FORCING Prokorov to get MARRIED like he promised he would if the Nets didn’t have a Championship within his 3-5 year window. Jim Buss doesn’t owe anyone anything.

    In other words, if we just give the FO time, things will improve. But EVERYONE keeps yapping about “JIM SAID 3 YEARS!!! Times UP SOON!!!! Clock is TICKING!!!” blah blah blah…….

    I’ve posted this before here:
    NO ONE who has followed the NBA for any significant period actually believed Jim Buss when he said they’d be in the WCF in 3 years. I’m not going to hold him to that statement either. Just like I’m not going to hold Mitch accountable for the Playoff and 40 win talk either.

    Statements to appease the masses are often untrue. We can’t hold company line propaganda up as promises to be upheld and cry injustice when they don’t come to fruition.

    Its gonna be awhile but its gonna get better…..I won’t put a DEADLINE on it though….

  34. Robert says

    rr: As you state – three options: A) Can the FO in 16 B) wait until 17 and then can them C) Give them more time. While I would go with “A” – you are correct – it should be “A” or “C”. It can’t be “B”. Well at least you and I think so : )
    LKK/Ano #1: No I can’t envision that either. However my hopes are on Jeanie (it is 50/50).
    Mid: When Pop does leave – do you think he will be thought of as a legend in SA? Or do you think he will get the LA treatment like Phil received (even prior to him going to the Knicks)?

  35. david h says

    so blake griffin broke his hand reaching for the check….go clippers.

    at least we have the lakers.

  36. Clay Bertrand says

    So who y’all fixed to hire then when you CAN THE FO???? You wanna go rob a 2nd in command at another team?? Danny Ferry? Bryan Colangelo?? Tom Penn??? Austin AINGE!!!??????

    Who are y’all convinced is JERRY WEST 2.0 just sitting there for us to hire when the OWNER SUPPOSEDLY FIRES HIMSELF and the team’s GM of the last 15 years (who has been very successful here btw)??????? I’m curious who you guys have lined up for this big grand plan to fire the FO because they didn’t meet the ridiculous faith you put in a pipe dream 3 year deadline!?!??!?!?!

    Gimme ANY NAME.

  38. rr says

    Clay,

    I never had any faith in Jim’s deadline. It was unrealistic from the start. Problem with yelling at fans about it is that JB came up with it himself.

  39. rr says

    As to the team on the floor today, I would like to see the rotation be all young guys and KB although that would be unfair to BB and LW. They are pros who have done what they are paid to do. It is just wasted here unfortunately.

  40. Fern says

    Gary umm Clarkson is elite size at 6’4 right?Russell is 6’5 and is a better pg than Clarkson already there is no way around it, Clarkson is a sg.Randle is not as huge as a question as you think, he is already showing flashes with his right hand,he is a hard worker and a rebounding machine , how you determine how good they are? letting them play, after the Kobe farewell tour is over it’s their team.

  41. Clay Bertrand says

    RR, I left out Ryan West because the masses are calling for CANNING THE FO of which Ryan West is a part. I don’t think they’d go with Pauga altho I’d LOVE to pluck from the Spurs tree Travis Schlenk from the Warriors or Bobby Marks (although I don’t know if he’s already been around some….I don’t think so…). I kinda wonder about all these Thunder guys everyone is always touting…..their whole FO is like the next HOT GUY.

    But I like your initial list. The question is WHO is making this call, Jeanie?? She’s NOT a basketball person.

    Does JIM hire his OWN replacement and open a whole NEW CAN of crap for himself?? Also, I can’t really see just canning Mitch Kupchak…….

  42. rr says

    Clay–the FO in this case means the two guys at the top. Suppose I should have made that clear. I expect that Ryan West will be a prime candidate to move up if the Lakers move out Buss and Mitch, as I do not see Jeanie firing Logo, Jr.

    If something like this happens, my guess is that Jeanie gets some outside help in making the hire. Mitch might actually retire and consult on hiring his replacement, yes. I do not think Jim will be involved in that process if things actually go this way, which they might not. Maybe the Lakers will get DeRozan, Whiteside, and Simmons and hire Luke Walton, Scott Brooks or Darren Erman, everyone in Lakerland will have fun next year, and Jim will be Executive of the Year.

  43. matt says

    I’m afraid the FO during this next offseason will again attempt reserve cap space for the next year 2017 and not go all in but do another lin/hibbert type deal

  44. Clay Bertrand says

    rr, I like the way you think!!! Mitch as a Consultant would be good it he isn’t retained in some other FO capacity…….

  46. Fulofunk says

    Thanks Miles D , I always appreciate your posts full of links and this one did not disappoint. I especially liked the article on AB. As Darius posted earlier, he is coming on and it’s been interesting to watch his growth over the 12 games he’s played. It’s also good to see BS recognizes what he has in AB.