The Lakers have lost 3 straight games since returning from the All-Star break and trading Lou Williams. The games themselves have been a mixed bag from a team perspective, competing for stretches, having a couple of double-digit defeats, and then battling throughout against the Hornets only to fall short at the end.
The main takeaway, from a team perspective, is that this group still lacks the defensive ability — through gained experience and chemistry — to be impactful on that side of the ball. The needed stops do not come and the breakdowns are ones which leave you frustrated an questioning whether they will truly ever get it. I wish I had an answer to that question or that I had a more positive outlook on what the future may hold on that side of the ball, but my opinions, for now at least, are that without an infusion of defensive talent and a greater commitment from the players currently on the team to become better at it, this team will continue to flounder.
Offensively, and from an individual perspective, it’s easier to see the seeds and roots of something more dynamic. D’Angelo Russell has offered some especially strong play, mixing scoring and playmaking that inspires hope of him starting to get “it”. There are still fits and starts and some aspects to his game which need more sharpening (like penetration both in isolation and out of P&R’s), but the passing, shooting, and overall decision making is coming around. Maybe it’s a renewed focus because Magic Johnson has taken over the front office, maybe it’s Lou Williams being gone and a sense of added responsibility shifting, or maybe it’s just him finding his stride again after a season which has featured too many injuries and missed games. But it’s coming along. Hopefully it lasts.
Julius Randle, like Russell, had a strong showing against the Hornets and one has to wonder if the light bulb is also turning on for him or if it was just another stellar peak in what has been an up and down season. I won’t reiterate my belief in Randle’s talent again, but I will say that games like the one against the Hornets are a peek into what’s possible for him — even if it was in an advantageous matchup. Still, though, Coach Walton highlighted after the game how it was as hard as he’d seen Randle play over an entire game all season. The implication being, of course, is that if Julius brings that type of effort nightly, those results become more possible. Like Russell, it’s fair to wonder if Randle has that in him every night, but bringing that effort 4 out of 5 nights rather than 1-2 out of 5 would be a nice place to start.
There’s always more to discuss about the young players, but I think it’s better to pivot to Friday’s opponent, the Celtics. Coming off a big win of their own on Wednesday vs. Cleveland, the C’s are surely riding high. They showed toughness, timely shot making, and some defensive fortitude in the final minutes to give the Cavs their 1st loss of the season in a game they led at any point during the 4th quarter. After standing pat at the trade deadline and not emptying their coffer of assets for Jimmy Butler or Paul George, I’m guessing there is a bit of “we’re going to prove ourselves” from this group and a win over the Cavs is a nice start to establishing their readiness.
How this translates to tonight, though, is anyone’s guess. I could easily see the Celtics ready to pounce, riding the high of their win over the Cavs, and winning by 20. I could also see them being a bit worn down from traveling cross country, playing down to the level of their opponent, and struggling on the first of a five game roadie. If I was going to guess at which occurred, I’d lean towards the former because they are well coached and have a real chance of catching the Cavs for the top overall seed in the East. Combine that with whatever sense of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry these players feel, and that should be enough to get them motivated. Even in saying that, though, if they came out flat, I wouldn’t be too surprised.
As for the Lakers, what I’m looking for tonight is about what I’ve been saying for every game for the last few weeks. I want to see the young players get minutes, I want to see them be aggressive, and I want to see them play well. This is especially true for Russell, Randle, and Clarkson. For Ingram, I think the first two are more important to me than the last point (playing well), simply because if he’s aggressive and on the floor, that’s enough for me. It’s clear, to me at least, that Ingram’s jump as a player will come (if it comes at all) after a summer in the weight room and in doing individual skill development. These last 20 games are just about getting him more reps and exposed to game situations so he has that foundation of experience to inform his development moving forward.
Lastly, I know many are most interested in seeing the Lakers continue to lose games as the season comes to a close. The lottery implications are serious, as are the implications for the 2019 draft pick which is currently owed to the Magic. As it stands, the Lakers are currently tied with the Suns for the 2nd worst record in the league and would have a coin flip chance of keeping their pick if the lottery were held today. That said, I hate losing to the Celtics and if there’s only a single game won the rest of the year, I would root for it to come in this game.
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on Spectrum Sportsnet.
Clay Bertrand says
Great……SO now we gotta wait til May to find out who is in charge of the Lakers……..SMH……. How is anything supposed to be done………… F*cking Ridiculous!!!!!!!
At least we haven’t heard that Magic has been talking to the RUSSIANS….at least, NOT YET!!!!
BUCK FOSTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fern says
Well, Cercei uh i mean Jeannie was the one that moved to go to court and solve this civil war once and for all so she must have a hell of a strong hand. The NBA already stated that she is in control and have their support. She wouldn’t go to war unless she is certain of victory. A return of the old regime would be a catastrophe.
A Horse With No Name says
Update: apparently the big brothers signed off on Jeanie as controlling owner after their power play was stopped by the threat of a restraining order by Jeanie. Don’t be surprised if there is further legal moves by the big brothers. I guess there’s a perverse side of me that would love to see Jeanie ousted: she’s quite a piece of work herself–as Jerry West knows only too well.
Joshua says
Jim is kind of difficult to gauge because there’s hardly any public material available (that alone is of course already saying a bit). Jeanie’s flaws are more obvious from her public appearances etc. What I have disliked about her in particular is how she has always taken her power struggles to the public.That’s an unprofessional thing to do for people who represent an organization. And I think it hurts the organization.
TempleofJamesWorthy says
Please do a post on the apparent machinations in the Buss ownership family.
I wonder if the timing of the firing of Jim Buss/Kupchak/John Black was because Jeannie knew what was coming in the trust directorship battle?
bluehill says
I wondered what the other kids thought of Jeannie’s move and now we know how some feel and will found out about the rest. Just more evidence of the biggest problem with the Lakers and that’s ownership.
I’ve given Mitch the benefit of the doubt because of the competing agendas at the top and I think he’s collateral damage in the battle between Jim and Jeannie. Dr. Buss was able to keep it under control and that’s when Mitch made his best deals including the CP3 deal that would have continued Laker dominance. Once Dr. Buss’ health began to go Mitch went a got Dwight and Nash, but at the time I viewed these as kind of desperation deals to win one more for Dr. Buss. The outcomes were binary – either win it all or collapse – because of the high price in draft picks. Looking back the Howard trade doesn’t seem as costly as the Nash trade. That was a high price for creaky point guard.
I know it’s old news and apologies for rehashing it again, but I always wonder whether Mitch would have made these deals if Dr. Buss wasn’t in such bad health. After his passing, it was kind of strange how the draft picks and filler FA signings seemed pretty good, but the attempts for big-name FAs were so clumsy. Even with Deng and Mozgov, where maybe Mitch shoulders more blame, I still wonder if he would have made these deals with different or more unified owners.
Oh well, when this management structure with Jim and Jeannie was made official, I hoped for the best and tried to prepare for the worst, but it’s been worse than I imagined. And Jeannie is just as bad as Jim. Now this. Geez, these guys are inept.
Joshua says
People tend to like executives who are willing to take risks (Mitch’s critics actually accused him to be too careful and expect Pelinka to be more aggressive). But sometimes those risks materialize (actually a lot of times, but the focus is usually more on success stories). That being said, I still think those trades were defensible at the time.
If things had panned out we would have given away late first-round picks (like the Rockets tend to do). For a competing team that’s not too bad because first-round picks mean guaranteed money for players who might not be able to help you right away.
Of course that’s not how it turned out…
As for Deng and Mozgov, I think those were moves that showed a certain lack of patience. Of course none of the Buss kids comes across as particularly patient and the fans also didn’t have a lot of patience after three losing seasons.
Chris J says
“Attorneys for Jeanie Buss sought a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday to prevent the brothers from holding a meeting next week to elect a new board of directors for the team that didn’t include her.” — L.A. Times
What a mess behind the scenes. But year, Buck Foston. Always.
bluehill says
I wondered what the other kids thought about Jeannie’s move. Now we know.
Poor Mitch. I think he was collateral damage from this internecine battle. He did his best work when Dr. Buss was around, probably because he could keep Jim and Jeannie in check or out of the way. Even Deng and Mozgov, where Mitch may shoulder more blame, I wonder whether he would have done those deals under different owners.
Now this. Geez. The guys are inept.
Tim says
If the Lakers have one good game left in them this season, I hope it is tonight.
Go Lakers. Beat Boston.
Craig W. says
IMO – all this front office static doesn’t have anything to do with the Lakers going forward. It is just more ‘talking heads’ noise – unless Jimmy wins the court battle; and he is a decided underdog.
Therefore, I am going to concentrate on the games left – Buck Fosten!
Robert says
Until the Laker FO is fully resolved, everything that happens on the court is almost like a side show. You can watch the pick and rolls on the floor or you can watch the Buss Family put moving screens on each other. It is pretty clear which one of the two encounters means more to the future of the franchise.
RR says
I see that Craig’s post got 4 likes and Robert’s got 3–perhaps from some of the same people. Dismissing the Lakers’ ownership issues as a nothing story is simply misguided. It will almost certainly affect the org’s image, FA recruitment, agent interaction, and will probably be a distraction for the basketball ops people and maybe even the coaches.
That said, the game is still about what happens on the 94′ by 47′ hunk of wood, and I don’t think the players themselves will be that concerned with it. This could be an area where Magic can help Walton keep the young guys focused. The bottom line is that as long as the Lakers are 29th in Team D and have no ASG-caliber players on O, they will continue to lose with metronomic predictability no matter how few or many billable hours the Busses are giving their teams of attorneys.
Clay Bertrand says
Welp, now the Tanking is REALLY OFFICIAL!!!! Deng is INACTIVE tonight………… which will no doubt be devastating………
I have a gut feeling that is actually going to GUARANTEE a Laker win tonight………..
Operation SEATED DENGOV (Nod to rr on the ‘DENGOV’ reference) is in full effect !!!!!
Tim says
Looked like a good defensive play by Ingram, should have been a jump ball.
FredP says
It is fair to say that Jimmy has removed any doubt about his competence or lack of it. Now he is just focused on drilling holes in the bottom of the SS Lakers. Fortunately the turmoil is coming at the right time to help with the race to the bottom of the standings. Jeanie can wait to fully resolve the “misunderstanding” until after the season is over.
A Horse With No Name says
The tank gods are wearing the purple and gold: Suns win 2 in a row!
G says
On the bright side of things Lakers are officially 2nd to last with Phoenix winning two in a row
rr says
The Lakers are 5-17 since Game 41.
Moto says
Why did BI only take 2 shots and they were in the 4th qtr?
Fern says
Man, between last night shellacking by the beeping Celtics and all the turmoil upstairs i almost brokedown in tears, no lie. I hope this get resolved soon. Giod thing Jeannie was swift and squashed this attempted coup and moved to court to settle this once and for all. This sort of dysfunction is so messy that it can set teams back decades. Im starting to warm to the idea that maybe they need to sell the team if this is what the future holds. Jim Buss made his self imposed deadline, he failed it, hes out. And he wants to stay in control? To quote him when he blasted Magic a couple of years back “where are you coming from” Im pretty sure that Jeannie and Magic will prevail but in the case they don’t im willing to boycott for as long as an Jim and now Johnny would run the team. I just imagine Jimbo as Lakers president and his brother running the team. Im convinced this would turn the fanbase away and do considerable, even irreparable harm to the Lakers. Buss is not respected in the NBA and is absolutely hated by the fanbase.I don’t think he cares about the team is all about his brushed ego and the Lakers that his father build be damned, he is willing to watch the world burn This would be a disaster on all levels.
Moto says
How the hell does BI only take two shots AND they both came in the 4th quarter.
nimble says
this a sham a travesty!amnesty all and do over.
drrayeye says
I’ve viewed the replacing of Jimmy and Mitch with Magic and Pelinka as transitional to a corporate ownership that seems inevitable. This family feud may make that transition sooner rather than later.
The Lakers seem to have smoothly transitioned to full tank mode–more than I would like. This loss to the Celtics was especially hard for me to take–with the possible exception of Clarkston in the 3rd quarter.
We seem to be pulling away in reverse much like we used to be pulling away in the other direction not that many years ago.