I hate to keep beating the same drum, but when it’s the only instrument in the room what really can I say? The Lakers are back in action tonight, facing the 76ers in another standings game which could matter come lottery night. Philly may not be “tanking”, but they’re certainly starved for talent now that Joel Embiid has been shut down for the season (joining top pick Ben Simmons) and Nerlens Noel has been traded. The team still has Dario Saric (who’s good!) and Jahlil Okafor (who’s…I don’t know what he is at this point), but the rest of this roster is holdovers from previously terrible teams and some veterans who were brought in to soak up minutes and mentor the young guys.
This makes Philly a bad team and they have incentive — maybe even more than the Lakers — to continue to be that way through the end of the season to maximize their lottery chances. Philly will get the Lakers’ pick should it fall outside the top 3 and they also have the right to swap picks with the Kings should that pick end up higher than their own. So, Philly realistically could end up with two top 5 picks in what is thought to be a loaded draft and all they have to do is continue to lose to make that happen.
Which makes tonight’s game another one of those games. The Lakers currently have a 3 game “lead” in the loss column, but a win tonight would leave that number at only 2. Considering the roster the Sixers are putting on the floor each night (they’ve lost 4 in a row and 2-8 in their last 10), that’s another team who may end up challenging the Lakers for a bottom 3 record even if the Lakers have one of the toughest schedules to end the season.
Running counter to this storyline is the fact that the Lakers played really well in their last game. D’Angelo Russell was cooking against the Suns and that effort, along with some strong flashes from Randle, Ingram, and Clarkson, got them a win. Whether that was a one game reprieve or something they can build on is the other key angle to tonight’s game. There’s a large portion of fans, I think, who want to see consistency from the young guys. Playing well needs to become a habit and leveraging the last game to spring them forward into this one should be a goal. But, as noted above, those pesky lottery standings also carry weight and while I don’t think the players care about those one bit, fans are conflicted.
So, what do you want out of this game? I think I know the answer to that, but you can let me know in the comments.
Where you can watch: 6:30pm start time on Spectrum Sportsnet.
Craig W. says
Realistically, the team needs a win to cement in the idea that they are improving. The schedule is likely to have its way with us and we are most likely to finish 2nd from the bottom, but we do need to try and win those games we have a chance to win.
R says
I want a loss with no laker injuries.
Or sixer injuries, for that matter. If anybody on the lakers cares to play defense, that would be nice but hardly necessary at this point, so long as the defense played doesn’t result in a lakers win.
Now, if the lakers were still playing 500 ball like they were at the 20 game mark – remember way back when? – my wishes would be different.
Clay Bertrand says
Apologies for the very long Rant here…….
But what I’m seeing are a bunch of analysts and pundits mostly rolling their eyes at the Lakers Rob Pelinka press conference. The whining sentiment being: “This is the same thing the Old Regime did……..This is just Lakers Exceptionalism all over again…….THEY DIDN’T explain exactly HOW they are going to get the team on track…..All they are doing is pushing this OFF THE COURT stuff…….THIS never worked in the past HOW can it work now…….This guy never gave us interviews before when he was a player rep for Kobe so he’s an A-Hole (Matt Money Smith)…..BLAH BLAH BLAH……”
Have we heard similar things in the past? Yes we have. But much like we have heard the same things from Luke that we cringed hearing come out of Byron’s mouth, (that the team is Soft) the message is VERY different because of WHO is speaking it.
Pelinka brings huge experience to the table and very unique, “insider” perspective. As he himself stated, he knows the FO of every team and is familiar with how they do things and he also has a grasp on what today’s players and agents value. He KNOWS what players think about Los Angeles and the Lakers. He KNOWS what other FOs think about the Laker players. Jim Buss didn’t have this knowledge, nor did Mitch, nor do most any of the other proposed names we have discussed as possible GM hires. I don’t get how the Media and a lot of fans can basically underestimate if not totally pan this hire in light of what value and expertise this guy brings to the table.
What’s the most unbelievable thing about certain segments of society is when people actually CRY FOUL when those in high leadership roles don’t specifically explain their plans publicly. It’s just amazing. Like John Q. Citizens DESERVES to know everything that is going on??? A President not telling the Media where an invasion is going to take place or a CEO not telling the media EXACTLY what the new Iphone gimmicks will be are SUPPOSED to be secrets. Secrecy is NECESSARY sometimes yet so many people act so OUTRAGED over not being in the loop. What ever happened to being on a “NEED TO KNOW” basis????
Pelinka gets lightly roasted for not telling a group of reporters exactly which players he is going to trade and for whom and for not definitively answering MORONIC questions like when Mark Medina (a generally respectable reporter) asked, “DO you think the young players represent a CHAMPIONSHIP CORE??” (paraphrased) What kind of question is that?!!!?!!?!?! What kind of honest answer is that question designed to elicit from a JUST HIRED GM????!!!!!!!!!!!! That sounded like a question from a 6th grader not from a seasoned LAKER BEAT WRITER. Cmon Mark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did Medina expect a response like:
“Glad you asked. No Mark I really think our young players suck. I am planning to offer at least a couple of them around the league in trades this Summer. I will probably go after Paul George first and then I will sign Kyle Lowry. Next I will use the stretch provision on Mozgov. I will be Tweeting all of my rankings for players I like in the upcoming draft and will also be giving out my Social Security number and the combo to my safe…you are recording this right???”
What the hell do people expect???? Secrecy is seen as some kind of betrayal by the media when in fact, it is often CRUCIAL when you are in competition of any kind. NOT TO MENTION the fact that the previous FO was largely embarrassed by making public pronouncements and “Calling Their Shots” and was ultimately FIRED for not meeting their own stated overly lofty goals. NOW these guys are being blasted by some for NOT making specific enough pronouncements!?!?!?!?!!!?!??
The most telling Pelinka quote that caught my attention and has not been even mentioned by ANYONE in the media was the following:
“….every Agent in the business knows that if you could place a client anywhere in the world, especially given the leadership that we have in place now, this is the best place for their clients. And we’re going to start to see that happen RAPID FIRE.”
THIS, is something of substance even if its not specific. It sounds a little like Shot Calling too. He is speaking from First Hand knowledge and coming from a powerful player agent and NOT from the Master of Hubris Jim Buss indicates TO ME that Mr. Pelinka has some information that he is keeping to himself. “RAPID FIRE”. He’s either very confident based on what he knows, or he’s Jim Buss 2.0. I am expecting and hoping he is the FORMER but forgive me if I am not outraged over his not unveiling his entire strategy to the rest of the world on TV day 1 on the job.
Here’s hoping Dengov get’s some run this game!!!!
A Horse With No Name says
You nailed it here, Clay. I zeroed in on the exact comment by Pelinka. It was said with certainty and the using of “rapid fire” to indicate that things were going to happen sooner rather than later certainly suggests something is in the works. What though? Damn, can’t he tell us right now? Haha. Right?
fern says
Im surprised Medina asked such a stupid question. The media rambling is just white noise to me. Same BS as fans demanding to know “the plan”
A Horse With No Name says
But we haven’t had any of those vocal fans here demanding to know the “plan” . . . lol
Anonymous says
Clay- I agree with you – but remember that many, many fans on this site and elsewhere were furious with Jimbo and Mitch for the same crimes (not disclosing “their plans”). The same arguments you are making now, which I agree with, were often met with the “you are just an FO apologist” dismissal just a few months ago. The interesting thing is that those same critics now agree with you. Interesting world we live in.
LT Mitchell says
The issue with Jimbo and Mitch was not that they did not reveal their plans…..the issue was how poorly thought out their plans were (i.e. hiring the wrong coaches, implementing incompatible offensive systems, the failed and ‘succesful’ free agent pursuits, etc). I have a long laundry list of reasons why I have been furious at the prior regime. Not disclosing their plans, which seemed obvious based on their actions and statements, was never one of the reasons. The fans who are upset at Magic and Pelinka are reaching for more excuses to defend Jimbo and Mitch.
RR1 says
One of many reasons that you are dead wrong here is that back in December 2014, Jim did say this:
“The pitch is we can go for two max players. And we have room to solidify the team with others,” Jim Buss said. “We can’t sell who we’re going to get because we don’t know yet, and it’s illegal to do that. We pursued LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony last summer.”
—
They then made the failed pitch to Aldridge the following summer. So, Jim let his plans be known, and on top of that, the Lakers trying to get Paul and Howard was leaked right after the lockout. Snarky attempts to re-litigate the Jim Buss Era and the numerous conversations about it here are not a good play for you and your fellow travelers.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
@Clay
Please allow me to beg to differ. I think the reason many are dismissive and/or critical of Johnson’s/Pelinka’s public pronouncements is because those utterances are meaningless pablum. EVERY high executive of EVERY NBA franchise mouths the words about “being world class” and ” demanding excellence” and “having accountability.” Some of them make it happen, some of them don’t. Some of them fail despite their alleged commitment to excellence (cf. Vivek Randive and the Sacto Kings), some of them succeed despite their bungling (cf. World Champion Cleveland Cavaliers, who hired Mike Brown and Byron Scott as coaches, while wasting top 4 draft picks on Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters).
Maybe Johnson/Pelinka will turn the Lakers around, maybe they won’t. Maybe that turnaround will happen because Johnson/Pelinka are in a position to draft Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, while Mitch/Jim DIDN’T have the chance to draft Karl-Anthony Towns or Joel Embiid. Maybe the Johnson/Pelinka team will snag the next Big Name Free Agent because of their superior acumen…or maybe it will be because the Lakers core (drafted by Mitch/Jim/et al.) will be an enticing proposition, unlike Mitch/Jim being stuck offering “You can be Kobe’s sidekick during his retirement tour.”
Unless Johnson/Pelinka can offer some tangible evidence-supported reasons why things will be different under their management compared to their predecessors, all they have to offer is the same old hoohah in a new wrapper.
A Horse With No Name says
TOJW, I love your posts in general. But here, I don’t think we can hold the new management to an evidence based standard–for the reasons Clay detailed. I am far more impressed with what Pelinka brings to it than what Magic brings. I think we will have a sense of whether it’s pomp and circumstance or something substantive very soon.
Anonymous says
What’s the point in rooting for a win to teach the young guys or give them confidence when 1-3 of them could well be dealt in the off season?? What value is a win at this point if it undermines (or destroys) our near future draft assets and is moot when Russell and Randle are wearing Pacers uniforms next season?? (for example)
drrayeye says
Darius,this is sort of “end of season in reverse” since the glory days. Just as we once needed a win to preserve home advantage, we need a loss to have a future. As our glory nemesis from the East once wore green with shamrocks, this reverse nemesis plays in the backdrop to Rocky movies.
IMO, we need to lose this one to help set Pelinka’s bargaining table: big time.
Anonymous says
New look starters tonight!!!!
NICE!
Tim says
Zubac starting tonight. Lakers will be getting a good look at their promising rookie over the last 17 games of the season.
dxmanners says
DAR makes a three at one end, lets the inbounds pass roll to preserve time, and kicks the ball out of bounds. That’s him in a nutshell. Can’t get rid of him soon enough.
Tim says
Clarkson having his best game of the year. Hope to see more of this type of game and assists out of him.
david h says
Thought for a moment Clarkson didn’t get the memo.
There goes the one game winning streak.
Go lakers.
Mid-Wilshire says
Well. The Lakers lost tonight, 118-116, no doubt delighting the tank battalion among their fans. But you can’t blame Jordan Clarkson for this one.
Tonight, Clarkson led both teams in scoring with 30 points (10-16 shooting; 62.5%), a season-high 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. JC’s performance was truly outstanding and, in the process, demonstrated, I believe, his true potential. He has, of course, developed quite a legion of fans who seem to denigrate his every game. But they have no reason to crow about any uncontrolled, tunnel-vision mindset on his part tonight. He did everything well. And he did everything right. Tonight he was the Lakers’ best player by far. For his sake, I’m sorry the Lakers lost.
I also like what I saw from Julius Randle, another player whom some fans seem to love to hate. Tonight JR had 21 points (8-18 shooting), 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Ingram was also decent with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks and seems to be playing well late in the season. This leads me to wonder: How good will he be in 4 years? Zubac, meanwhile, had 10 points (on 4-5 shooting) and 6 rebounds in a far too limited 18:53 of play.
But…tonight was a loss. Even so, I sense growth (and the potential for more growth). Now, a big question: What did Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka see? I imagine they’re taking lots of notes.
rr says
With Young sitting and Williams traded, the Lakers went 4/20 from the arc. Philadelphia, with Embiid out again and Noel traded, is back to being terrible on D, so the Lakers almost won anyway. The 76ers came into the game hitting .441 as a team from the floor and are dead last in the NBA in ORTG. Tonight, playing their third game in four nights on a West Coast trip (although they stayed overnight in LA having played the Clippers yesterday) they hit .519.
R says
rr – not to put words in your mouth, but I think you are saying: the Lakers are terrible.
Right?
Mid-Wilshire says
Tonight Luke Walton experimented with his lineup and showed that he is willing to look at all the young players. His starting lineup was as follows (this is the first time that this group of players had started as a unit):
Brandon Ingram — Age: 19
Ivica Zubac — Age: 19
D’Angelo Russell — Age: 21
Julius Randle — Age: 22
David Nwaba — Age: 24
It’s important to note that the oldest player in this experimental group, Nwaba, was in the D League just 3 weeks ago.
The bench didn’t exactly consist of grey beards either:
Tyler Ennis — Age: 22
Jordan Clarkson — Age: 24
Larry Nance, Jr. — Age: 24
Tarik Black — Age: 25
Corey Brewer — Age: 31
The average age of the starters tonight: 21. The average age of the bench: 25.2 (without Brewer: 23.75).
This is what a youth movement looks like. Also, with several new faces on the squad that were not on the team prior to the ASG, one can expect a few bumps on the road. Obviously, they’re still learning how to play together.
All things considered, then, I thought the Lakers did well tonight. But I still would have liked to have seen them win.
FredP says
Great points! This was the first game all season that the Lakers went all in on their youth movement. There was no trying to buff up Lou’s stats or trying to get Young his Lakers 3 point record. The youth held up well and the future is bright!
drrayeye says
Whew! Couldn’t be happier.
rr says
Well, yes, but the thing that has been most disappointing to me personally is that they have not moved up to, say, 25th in Team D. Given the enormous amount of vitriol directed at Scott and to a lesser extent, Kobe, I think many fans believed those two changes would lead to modest improvement on that side of the ball, and I was hopeful on that score myself, In fairness to Walton, the O is better, but the D really has not been.
This was the Lakers’ 66th game, they were playing at home, and they just gave up 118 points and 52% shooting to the worst offensive team in the NBA. I don’t see big scoring nights from Clarkson and Randle as a counterweight to that.
Vasheed says
I wish the Lakers would try to solve issues on the defensive side of the ball as there is more room for improvement. I would try this starting line-up Deng PF, Ingram SF, Zubac C, Ennis PG, Russell SG. Basically working with what the Lakers currently have to mitigate defensive weak points. The big changes here are Deng whom I believe would defend much better than Randle and stretch the floor. Then moving Russell to the SG position where he won’t face speedy PG’s constantly and hope Ennis can do an adequate job.
fern says
This isn’t the first time Luke mismanages the timeouts.
drrayeye says
All in all, this was a brilliant loss–a critical test. We marketed Clarkson–who almost did us in. Nance proved he could hit the 3 in crunch time. Nwaba showed us that he might become one of our future defensive specialists–almost for free. We didn’t dare risk Swaggy P going off, and we did illustrate Corey’s future value to us–or as a trade piece.
Philly did everything organizationally to lose by shutting down key players–even rested Covington–but showed that they still had more pieces for the future than many of us thought.
Was DAR really an airhead and a bungler last night–or dumb like a fox?
Did Luke–ah jeez–really mismanage the clock last night?
We’ll never know.
Anonymous says
I would like to see the team keep the young core for at least another year and even add more youth via the draft (fingers crossed on that front). I honestly think fans would be OK if organic growth led us to say, 35 to 40 wins next season. In other words fans would be happy with real progress — the playoffs aren’t a necessity. However, my gut says that Magic/Pelinka are hell bent to move this forward and if that means making some of the kids available then so be it.
Might our off season look like this: a) draft Lonzo and move Russell to the SG position; b) sign Gordon Hayward to play SF; and c) trading for Cousins (offering a deal built around Clarkson and the 27th pick).
A case can be made for taking Hayward now versus waiting a year for George. Plus, no one should be too keen on trading two of our ‘better’ young core to get PG here this summer (besides I’d like to see the kids together for at least another year). Regarding Cousins, I think the Pelicans realize that they don’t have the talent or infrastructure to make the Boogie experiment work. I think they’d see a taking a deal that includes Clarkson/pick as making them whole on what they paid the Kings to get DC to NOLA).
Acquiring Hayward moves Ingram to a 6th man role. But it also creates flexibility in that should DAR continue to be inconsistent he could be moved with either Hayward or Ingram assuming the SG/SF roles. Additionally, Cousins would start at Center but should Zubac develop quickly Cousins can play PF making Randle a trade piece.
The Cousins move is likely to be the most controversial. But the Lakers need a home run move which doesn’t break the bank, DC is a top 5 player and if the Lakers FO feels they can provide the right environment for him to excel then I would be all for it.
A Horse With No Name says
If Pelinka/Magic/Kobe (yes, Kobe could help here) land Hayward then we are in a new era for sure. I hate to say it, but I think he re-ups with Utah. There could be a trade for Cousins, but it would take more than a late first and Clarkson–probably Clarkson and Randle.
mattal says
Hayward has long been penciled in as either staying in Utah or joining his college coach (Brad Stevens) in Boston. Can the Johnson/Pelinka FO make a better case for the Lakers. I do think the new guys change the free agent dynamics significantly. However, given the advantage Utah has in being able to offer more money and the fact that Boston is potentially set to be competitive in the Eastern Conference for the duration of a four year deal its a long shot that Hayward comes. Note: I think Hayward is a notch below PG but would have no problem signing GH knowing it closed the door on PG.
Another angle that has been noted is the possibility of signing Blake Griffin and making Randle trade bait. I’m not a fan of Griffin (injuries plus disappearing in big games) but I understand the rationale of such a move: talent acquisition. I wouldn’t do it but I’m not in charge.
Cousins will always be a controversial figure. I’m on the fence about him. However, I think there is value in acquiring him — especially cheaply — this summer. I’d much rather see how he fits for a year before having to make a 4 year $125 + million dollar decision on him. If you asked me what I’d me willing to give up a deal involving Clarkson (plus something) would be my answer. Why, well a DAR Clarkson back court gives up far too many points, I think a soon to be 25 year old Clarkson is who he is plus of the young core I think he’s the most expendable. Lastly, as noted above I think NOLA would be happy just breaking even on what they spent to get Cousins.
KevTheBold says
Hayward would be a fantastic pick up, and agree about the core staying together. Those two factors make sense if we had to lose Paul George.
As for Cousins,.. Not quite sure I’d take that risk,.. I know the talent is there,..but I wouldn’t want any player to damage the culture that Walton is striving to develop.
A disruptive player who is also very talented would be a seem to be a problem that has potential to go both ways,..however I don’t think the risk is worth the reward on a developing team which lots of budding talent.
Cousins is on a different time path, so would be frustrating for him as well, thus a powder keg waiting to go off on the youngest coach in the NBA.
R says
Cousins : million dollar body, $1.25 head.
Cornerstone player for a franchise going nowhere.
Perfect choice if the Lakers wish to prove Dwight Coward taught them nothing.
Vasheed says
I don’t think anyone save the Spurs could keep Cousins focused.
Rick in Seattle says
Lots of entertaining talk here, but talk is all it is (and I’m guilty of that at times as well).
Let’s just wait a few months & see what takes place. There is obviously going to be a period of player assessment, which appears to have already begun.
I think we can realistically expect some roster changes coming this summer. Magic & Pelinka were not brought in to sit on their hands. Jeanie has clearly expressed her desire to return to ‘showtime’. And who better to lead that effort than the showtime salesman himself Magic.
Hopefully, the team retains at least three of their current core. Unfortunately, this FO looks to be about making changes to improve the team. It would not surprise me if Clarkson and Randle were gone by mid-summer!
With this new FO, we should expect change. Jeanie is restless, fans are restless, and probably more than a couple sponsors (certainly to include the folks at Time-Warner cable). are restless after a nearly 4-yr. rebuild.
My hope is that the new FO takes its time to accurately assess the team they have (to hopefully include their top 3 draft pick). But the slow methodical advancement practiced by the previous regime, only got them fired!
I’m not saying we should expect a firesale. No, Pelinka is too professional for that. But its not unreasonable that we see change; and hopfully with that comes significant improvement.
This organization already has a good nuclius of decent young talent, as well as a competent young coach. Without the lottery factor, we would probably see this team winning a lot more games. Add in a top- 3 pick and a few quality veteran reserves next season, and this team has the potential to be right back in the playoffs.
And IF the FO were successful in attracting one or two all-star level free agents this summer or next, then this team could easily become a contending team in the Western Conference.
Keep the faith…