In the latest Laker Film Room Podcast, Pete and I discuss how far away the Lakers are from being a good team and what steps they should be taking this off-season to get them closer. Pete uses the “LakeShow” 1990’s Lakers teams as an analogue to this current team and whether some of the ideas Jerry West used to build that team should be used by Magic and Rob Pelinka today.
As part of this discussion of advancing the roster, we also dive deeper into the idea of trade targets — including a name outside of the usual suspected targets. Click through to give the entire post a listen.
Clay Bertrand says
UNTRADEABLE???????????? Maybe…but ONLY after Hennigan is fired……..
There is a mini-firestorm in Orlando regarding the Tweeted picture of Patricio Garino signing his new little deal with the Magic because in the background, there is a white board with players listed as potential FA targets and potential Trade targets etc. Looks like INSIDER type of stuff that should not have got out.
Now of course, with everyone on him and his job status already shaky, Hennigan is downplaying the lists as mere hypotheticals and things “other teams have inquired/called about” (which is total BS) and its really gonna be moot when he gets canned after the season anyway.
BUT, under the Trade Targets (oddly titled Hybrid Trades) you can clearly see the names. One of them of interest is Nance. The other is DENG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-sp-magic-photo-leak-0403-story.html
And I quote Lloyd Christmas,
“SO YER SAYIN THERE’S A CHANCE!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!”
One thing about keeping Deng and Mozzy benched: It won’t allow their play to further decrease their, ahem, TRADE VALUE!!!!!!!!!! If Pelinka can offload one of their deals for anything more favorable I think the Virgin Mary will appear and give us the cure for Cancer. Miracles abound!!!!!!!!!!!
*****Note to the DenGov defenders: Nothing personal at all. I don’t hate either guy or resent that they are making so much money. More power to em. Congrats. But they shouldn’t have been signed really at all as D Leaguers could replace their production. Their signings represent most extreme JUMP THE SHARK moment of the Jim Buss era IMO. They will hamstring efforts to get better going forward if they are not moved.
R says
Man if there’s interest in Deng (why would there be?) ship him in a heart beat, if it can be done without attaching anything of value to him, other than the 3.5 million that a team can spend annually.
Moz I’d keep around. No, not to mentor Zu but in the event that Zu ever gets hurt, as a back up, or if they ever decide to use him in pick and rolls with DAR. (It’s why they signed him in the first place, right, to amplify Russell’s offensive effectiveness … ?)
RR says
“Pete uses the “LakeShow” 1990’s Lakers teams as an analogue to this current team”
Yep. As has been said more than a few times here. And as I pointed out in July, West never brought in guys 30 or over in key roles for that team. It was a different time and a different CBA, but the multi-year deals to guys 30 and up have been very questionable to say the least.
Darius Soriano says
Did you listen to the pod or only commenting on my brief description above? I ask because it sounds like the latter and my description above is a really generic descriptor of the actual conversation. Anyway.
Radiated Boartrarian (@basquiatball) says
I think Cleveland could win a title with Mozgov and they should trade Love for him.
FredP says
I look forward to more podcasts after the season is over. For one thing, it gives me something to listen to while I do my yard work. The length is about right to fill up my organic waste container.
Pete sounds a little pessimistic about how long it will take the young players to be contributors on a playoff team. Along those lines, I think it is too soon to start shuffling the roster to chase a few extra wins. Give the young core another year to see what they can do. The dynamic of the team has changed since the younger players have been getting prime time opportunities and I would like to see what the coaching staff can do to improve the offensive and defensive sets. In addition, the Lakers still do not have the talent to be making 2 and 3 for one trades. I would not be happy pursuing Kevin Love because I agree with Darius about the need for more defensive minded players. It would be nice if they had a defensive minded big to quarterback the defense.
A Horse With No Name says
“The length is about right to fill up my organic waste container.” Naively hilarious or a line of comedic genius–either one is awesome.
Darius Soriano says
Haha! Fantastic.
Clay Bertrand says
Totally agree. I don’t know which lens its funnier through…….. : )
Craig W. says
I’m not sure George is a tier above Kevin Love. He is a two-way player, but Love is points and rebounds, plus he has been the go-to player for several years and didn’t falter, a-la Griffith. He, arguably, has become better with the Cavs, but – as a Bosh third banana – his game is actually much more restricted than when he was with Minny. The Lakers would allow Love to be a more complete version of himself. Also, he could act like Randle bringing up the ball, except it would be with a chest pass to the basket – for Nance/Clarkson/Ingram.
Love is a very intriguing trade target, but Zu would have to improve even more on the defensive end – which, I suspect, is his main summer assignment, regardless. Also, Love would be a good fit with George for the future. They could both be effective closers, via Shaq and Kobe (not in talent, but in ability to score at the end of the game, under pressure).
KevTheBold says
Interesting podcast as usual – The pairing of Darius & Pete = Top Notch !
Craig, Though I’m not too keen on Kevin Love, at this point I feel like a starving beggar and would swallow just about anything to keep the hunger pangs from tearing at my guts.
Clay Bertrand says
This post is in response to Darius’ Twitter rant regarding the League scheduling.
“There are other teams in those zones who the team has to play. Can’t send a team to SA for one game TWICE & not have a Hou/Dal game as well.”
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There are obviously scheduling obstacles when you have various arenas in 28 different NBA cities, some with cotenant NHL teams(or even NBA teams like at Staples) along with the other events that these arenas host (NCAA, Concerts, Rodeos, Circuses etc.) the game scheduling truly must be quite complex because the NBA still has these various scheduling oddities. They have tried to maintain an 82 game schedule while trying to carve out more rest so that players won’t have to sit games.
It seems to me that perhaps, one thing that could be done is to have back to back HOME games ONLY for each team so that at least, the visiting team who already comes in with no home court advantage doesn’t get the DOUBLE WHAMMY of being on the second night of a back to back.
Its much easier and less physically taxing to play 2 nights in a row in your own time zone, in your own town sleeping in your own bed. Allow the travelling road teams more time between games and have them make up that time by doing home stands that include at least one back to back.
The Lakers had a rare home back to back this weekend and CLEARLY, you can see better energy from them than the second of a back to back where they get into Denver at 3am from another time zone and play that very night.
ALSO, playing Minnesota 3 times to end the season and the Warriors 3 times to start the season is idiotic. Teams should ideally be matched against each other at different points in the season to allow for better competition and more intrigue. If a Karl Anthony Towns is hurt for a month, that could be all the games his team plays another team when the games are so bunched up.
I know they must be trying hard to hash out as many win-win scenarios as they can and maybe my concept isn’t totally on point with limiting scheduling oddities. But I think it COULD be a way to decrease road back to backs and increase overall parity by giving the Road Teams a break and having the Home Teams play the back to backs. This would in turn perhaps lessen the need to rest players.
Craig W. says
I like the home back-to-backs only idea – particularly when dealing with SLC & Denver, as the altitude and time-zone change in both those places is particularly egregious for West coast teams. The altitude impacts every other NBA club as well.
rick@gmail.net says
Seeing the Orlando white board mishap, kind of confirms my previous opinion that both Mozgov & Deng are tradeable.
Admittedly, they dont have high value. They are both past-their-prime, journeyman players, both are in their early 30’s, both with 3 years remaining on relatively expensive contracts.
But for a team like BRK or NO (and now add Orlando), who have had recent difficulty holding on to players, the length could be a plus–again if you’re looking for solid journeyman players.
However, I would suspect that the return would be minimal & its likely the Lakers would need to offer inducements, either cash or low draft picks or something.
Concerning the overall roster, I’m wondering why Magic & Jeanie are in such a darn hurry to change the roster. Why not make some minor tweeks, and watch how the core develops over the coming season, especially if they keep the top-3 pick.
If free agents George & Cousins remain available next summer (2018), why not shoot for that, rather than make an expensive trade (using some of the current core) this summer?
By the way, Kevin Love, another good offensive player, does not offer what the Lakers need defensively. Heck, Millsap, on a 2-3 year contract would be better than Love, who already turned down the alakers once.
Anonymous says
The Lakers have one year and possibly two with cap space before the kids 2nd deals start to eat it up. The urgency is caused by that. They don’t have room for two max free agents thanks to Mozgov/Deng. So do Magic/Pelinka create space and cross their fingers that Cousins and George come next offseason? What if they project to only have room for George next summer — would George only come if there was another sure fire all-star on the roster? How do they acquire that all-star before next summer?
Truth be told Jim/Mitch are the ones that should have sat on cap space last summer. The best thing for the organization would have been to take our lumps again this year try to keep the pick (and the 2019 pick). Can you imagine if we keep the 2017 pick and still had $65 mil in cap space to spend? With the youngsters still in place? That’s what we should be looking at this summer: enough cap room for multiple free agents — to come in and stabilize/elevate the kids.
But pride goes before the fall. Jim/Mitch thought they could save their jobs by getting an 8th seed. Ergo the fatal Mozgov/Deng signings. And, ergo the urgency to fix the mess ..
Craig W. says
“…I’m wondering why Magic & Jeanie are in such a darn hurry to change the roster.”
The Laker front office hasn’t said a word. All the assumptions are us – the fans – or the ‘talking heads’ who are paid for attention, not truth. We have no idea what the front office is thinking or planning, unlike Orlando.
RR says
Pelinka has talked quite a bit about the wanting the Lakers to be a FA destination again, and about the value of stars, and Jeanie has said that she will be “heartbroken” if the Lakers do not have an All-Star next year (the game is in LA). There were also stories to the effect that Jeanie was mad the the former FO did not get Cousins.
So, there is a reasonable inference to be made that the new FO will try to make a splash with a big get, based on these comments and based on whom Jeanie hired. I don’t think a big trade right now is a great idea, but I expect the FO does not see it that way.
R says
I think Pelinka used the phrase “rapid fire” at his introductory press conference when he mentioned how FAs would start flocking to the Lakers.
If true, that wouldn’t be indicative of a slow, organic approach,
Anonymous says
Lanzo Ball, baby!!