Shortly after we discussed the Lakers’ front office (and coaches) needing to find ways to improve for the organization to take a step forward this summer, reports have surfaced of changes within the front office which (they hope) will do just that. First it was Tim DiFrancesco resigning his post as strength and conditioning coach. Then came the resignation of director of basketball analytics Yuju Lee after the FO asked him to take on a reduced role.
And while these examples are “resignations” I would guess they are tied to a larger organizational shift being powered by Pelinka and Magic to revamp every area of the front office. I mean, the reporting on Lee already tells us the FO tried to demote him so it’s not hard to imagine DiFrancesco being presented with some marching orders he was not on board with and then resigning over them.
Anyways, what’s clear now is that the front office is not done. Far from it, actually. And it looks like the next area Pelinka and Magic want to impact is the scouting department. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus takes us inside the team’s plans:
Instead of operating with a single scouting unit, the Lakers will organize into four tiers: college, international, NBA and the NBA Development League (rechristened as the G-League as of the 2017-18 season).
The college scouting will remain primarily the same given the team’s recent track record with successful picks like Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
“The college department was obviously our most prominent,” the source said. “Internationally, we only had one scout, who does an amazing job—Antonio Maceiras and he will continue in that role, but we will add in that department.”
Before his ouster, Kupchak credited Maceiras for the team’s drafting of center Ivica Zubac with the 32nd pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
The Lakers will likely add a couple of scouts focused primarily on studying current NBA players. Director of player personnel Ryan West will work on both the NBA and college scouting tiers.
Lakers co-owner Joey Buss will continue as the president and CEO of the D-Fenders (rebranded as the South Bay Lakers) with general manager Nick Mazzella.
The Lakers intend to add one to two scouts who are focused solely on potential call-ups, two-way contracts, training camp and summer league invites from among the NBA’s minor league ranks.
First of all, this is the type of plan I can support fully. As I’ve said consistently over the years (and specifically over the past weeks when the stories of change and needing to improve have become more relevant), the Lakers need to spend in areas which are not capped; they need to invest in areas which directly relate to player acquisition and player development in order to build and grow the best possible team. It’s clear to me that, based on the recent resignations and the ways in which the team is reportedly trying to restructure them, this hasn’t been the case to this point — or at least not to the extent it could have been.
Further, I specifically appreciate the idea of building up the individual silos of player scouting in order to optimize player acquisitions from every available avenue. I’ve long appreciated that NFL teams have two distinctly different and equally important scouting units — one focused on college personnel and one on pro-players. Because it’s one thing to be able to look at a college player and then project what they will be at the pro level and quite another to look at a current pro and then translate how that guy will operate in “our” schemes under “our” coaches vs. what they’ve done in their current situation.
The Lakers used to be a team that did this well under Jerry West (think of the Sedale Threatt and Ced Ceballos acquisitions as good examples) and again under Mitch during the Phil Jackson tenures (Ariza, Artest, Shannon Brown). But, in recent seasons, they’ve lost their way and been much more focused on 1). star chasing and 2). grabbing up role players who have some sort of cachet or pedigree that has either expired in value or was seen as being under-developed by other teams. And while there’s logic to both of these approaches in a vacuum, hindsight tells us how scattered this approach was.
And not to belabor the point, but some of these acquisitions also did not quite fit into the approach of the coaching staff, represented direct competition to other priorities already on the roster, or both. Be it making an amnesty claim on Carlos Boozer the same summer you drafted Julius Randle and signed Ed Davis to a 1-year contract or re-signing Nick Young to a 4 year contract the same summer you replace Mike D’Antoni with Byron Scott, too many times where was not a synergy between talent evaluation, priority, and fit within the roster these players would be joining
The hope is that the approach Pincus describes above will help clean up some of these issues and create better alignment between the scouts, the coaches, and the final decision makers in the front office.
drrayeye says
I agree, Darius, this sounds like a blueprint we all can support. It also suggests a “get to know you” time to get the organization fully up to speed. That may not even start until sometime in July, when we have a clearer idea of what next year’s roster will be.
Richard Erickson says
Clearly Under kupchek and Jimy Boy they were confused and tangled this organization to being the laughing stock of the NBA. Meanwhile Boston in the same boat a few years ago are challenging at the top level of the NBA. Magic will get this done just after knowing if he has the 3rd pick. Either way the busted #2 pick and overrated young talent they have now will not be allowed to sink the ship year after year..
Clay Bertrand says
Who is “the busted #2 pick” ????????
I didn’t realize the Lakers had a #2 pick that was “busted”. They have one guy who’s played ONE season, and another who’s played TWO seasons. Both were picked at #2.
Yet one of them is A BUSTED #2 PICK???? Already???? AFTER TWO YEARS????? I don’t follow. Please provide some more context and some evidence to support your claim if you would. Frankly, don’t think you have any but I’d love to see what you come up with……..
Travis Y. says
Love these moves. Seems like we are catching up to the rest of the league instead of acting like a rogue mom and pop operation.
Corporate structure was lacking and Magic and Pelinka are building it from the ground up.
Sign me up for liking the process and foundation.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
Once again, the TOJW must be the contrary voice.
http://cdn1.divorcedmoms.com/cm-dm-imgupload/635750779905354073grumpycat.jpg
Maybe the shakeup in the Lakers management/scouting/analytics/human peformance staff will bring positive changes. Maybe it won’t.
But I think any influence the shakeup will have on the Lakers’ championship contention prospects will be incremental, at best.
I again invite fellow FB&G readers to review the transactions taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers after 2010 and compare those changes to the “stupid” moves by the Lakers.
Was it front-office smarts that put the Lakers at 17 wins while Cleveland won the NBA championship in 2016? No, it was LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love being Cavaliers (26 total Win Shares) while the Lakers had…their roster (16 Win Shares ***combined***)
Hey, if the Lakers’ management/support staff changes make for a better pitch to All-NBA-level free agents, great. But expecting those changes to significantly alter the franchise’s fortunes otherwise is not supported by empirical evidence.
Travis Y. says
Your paradigm is still to land two or three max free agents and all the sins of the past will be forgiven.
What you fail to realize is that max free agents don’t come unless the soil is ripe. Many teams can offer max contracts. Cap space alone will not bring max free agents. This sometimes won’t even attract a meeting. What we need to do is build a compelling reason for max free agents to come to LA.
When LaMarcus Aldridge was pitched by the Lakers he asked about scouting, analytics, how the offense would feature him, etc. If we don’t have a solid foundation on scouting, direction, analytics, etc., then that is the first sign to go to a different team.
After the foundation, then we enter the next level of fielding a competitive .500 team, then a playoff team, then a championship competitor or top 8 team).
The steps the new FO are taking are logical, strategic, and necessary. Control the factors you can and make the best case for max free agents to say no. We’re getting closer to reality and I respect the direction we’re going towards.
drrayeye says
TOJW,
the Lakers are taking the “field of dreams” approach because that’s all we have right now. Putting together a managerial infrastructure of mutual support to replace a managerial structure in disarray is a no brainer. Using that infrastructure to achieve real measurable change will take time–but early signs are all pointing in the right direction: roster moves, team buy-in, end of season spurt, improved communication between team management and business management, getting everyone on the same page.
Often, when implementing change management, one might expect a temporary downturn of negative reaction to the departure of previous management–but I don’t think that will happen this time. After all, how much lower can we sink?
It’s “been down so long, it seems like up to me.”
LT Mitchell says
TOJW,
You’ve been on a sinking ship for years now and the boat is completely submerged. There is nothing left to hold on to buddy. It is time to jump ship and grab a life raft. Good luck.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
@Travis Y, drrayey, LT Mitchell
I thank you for your feedback, but I think you misunderstood the thesis of my post.
Yes, having a good scouting department, analytics staff, training/physical therapy staff, etc. is important to an NBA team. But I think praising the current shakeup is based upon two unproveable assumptions
1) The previous staff was somehow deficient
2) The people Pelinka/Magic hire will be demonstrably better than the previous staff
There is a strong tendency for people to look at those who are successful in their given fields and assert, “Gosh, their success must be because they are smart and/or hard-working and/or high character people.” In truth, in most endeavors as complex as running an NBA team, EVERYONE is smart/hard-working/high character/etc. and much of the difference in outcome is due to factors outside any organization’s control.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fooled_by_Randomness
The Cavaliers hired Mike Brown, hired Byron Scott, overpaid (in terms of talent/draft picks) for Timofey Mozgov, and wasted two top-4 picks on Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters. But they’re the defending world champions because LeBron decided he wanted to come back to Cleveland.
The Lakers hired Mike Brown, hired Byron Scott, overpaid (in money) for Timofey Mozgov and “wasted” draft picks in the Dwight Howard/Steve Nash trades. They are a lottery team because they DON’T have LeBron (or similar top-notch talent).
One can plausibly argue that having a shiny brand-new scouting/analytics/training staff will make for a great talking point when pitching free agents. But unless those free agents actually sign with the Lakers (for compensation commensurate with their contribution level), all the shiny new staff is likely to produce (at best) is an extra David Nwaba at the end of the bench and 5 extra games a year out of Jordan Clarkson (due to injury prevention).
Given how dreadful the Lakers have been lately, I understand the desire to grasp at ANY development which seems positive (Hey, look! We’ve got a new Head of Athletic Performance Development!). But evidence suggests it’s all window-dressing. Talent wins in the NBA. It always has, it probably always will.
Maybe the new window-dressing will attract more talent. But until it does, that’s just a hope, not an evidence-based prediction.
A Horse With No Name says
As someone already said “build it and they will come.” Perception is reality, and the optics for the organization are visibly improved with these moves. Talent ain’t coming here if the infrastructure is perceived as second rate. That much is certain. A state of the art new training facility, a highly regarded young coach, high upside youngsters, Pelinka and Magic, the real capitol of basketball (no it’s not NY–the number of NBA players from Southern California dwarfs every other region) blah, blah, blah. No it doesn’t guarantee a thing, but we can’t expect evidence of any kind at this point in time–because nothing can happen–yet. So yeah. Let’s see what unfolds before we call it window dressing.
FredP says
I am waiting for the other shoe to drop on the coaching staff and see who stays, who goes, and who is brought in. So far Magic and Pelinka are making the much needed overhaul and rebuilding of the other departments. Free agents are not going to be sold using tales of LA grandeur and instead will get examples of how the Lakers organization is better than everyone else.
A Horse With No Name says
There has been an ongoing discussion of the value of analytics vs. trad scouting on this site and elsewhere. To frame it that way–if indeed that is one’s predilection is pretty silly, as most everyone understands the huge impact analytics is making in all areas of human activity and inquiry. The real question now might be, how important should trad scouting be in the age of big data? If you read the link below, it is still hugely important in evaluating talent for NBA teams and has been the difference for the Bucks:
http://www.nba.com/article/2017/04/26/clock-q-and-milwaukee-bucks-general-manager-john-hammond
A Horse With No Name says
I should have quoted this from the article I linked above:
” We always say that feel for the game is one of those things that is almost impossible to teach. It’s just a gift that the player had, and I think that Giannis had that gift.”
This is something to think about with respect to our young “core” players; who on the roster has “it,” that feel for the game? Without question, I submit: DAR, BI, and Zubac. LNJ has it, but lacks the ball handling and shooting skills. Clarkson has great offensive skills, but lacks the awareness/vision. Julius is also lacking in awareness, touch, and timing. You can coach up a smart and willing learner, as both Clarkson and Julius are, but their ceiling is probably limited by that hard to quantify, but easily observed, “innate feel for the game.”
R says
Right – I think that “innate feel for the game” is a brain wiring feature and there are absolute limits to how much that can be taught. And, the window closes (fast!) as the person ages.
An example: People lose the ability to fluently pick up a language pretty quickly. I mean, sure I can learn a language now but I’ll never be truly fluent in anything but English at this point. That language super fluency window closes before age ten for the vast majority of – if not all – people.
Another example: The former ‘niners QB Kapernick. The dude has great athleticism but his read/react wiring isn’t NFL quality. No amount of training at this point would bring him to the level he needs to be, let alone the Montana/Brady level.
Vasheed says
I take this positively. One of my biggest concerns was that one of the few parts of the Lakers organization that has been working well would be lost. This expands on the Lakers talent observation in a good way.
Tar baby says
This model makes a lot of sense for a sports agency that doesn’t have to worry about roster size or salary caps….not so sure for a franchise. Seems like there’s a big chance of “too many chefs” when you only have one open spot and multiple scouting tiers insisting that their guy is THE guy.
Darius Soriano says
I disagree. The more smart people funneling information to the decision makers the better. It’s then on the final decision makers to sift through that information, make a decision, and then for everyone in the room to leave the room on the same page.
Tar Baby says
Fair enough, but there is a point at which you suffer from “information overload”, at which point you risk paralysis by analysis or, even worse, things start slipping through the cracks.
Tar Baby says
…and for the record: I’m not expressing doubt in either Magic or Pelinka, I’m sure they will both do a good job, but they are both new to their roles and it’s not unreasonable to think they may break a few eggs along the way.
I’m just talking simple math: there’s only a finite number of hours per day – the more players you have to evaluate, the less time you have to spend on each one.
Clay Bertrand says
How can Magic and Pelinka just FIRE Chaz without having a backup plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps Chaz REFUSED to take a demotion from Team Bartender to Team Bar Back?????!!!!??!?!?!? Chaz don’t need to take this crap!!!!!!!! Chaz is OUTTA there!!! He can pretty much NAME his next paid position. As long as its at a TGI Fridays somewhere in the Midwest…….Hopefully there is an offset on his contract because the Lakers prolly owe him MILLIONS!!!!
CraigW. says
Only one ‘thumbs up’ – and that being mine. Wit, irony, and sarcasm don’t do very well on the Internet. I guess we will just have to continue actually talking to one another for a while yet.
Clay Bertrand says
I guess no one really understood the Greatness of Chaz and what he did for the franchise. The Lakers will rue the day they let Chaz Osbourne exit their organization!!! They threw out the baby, the bathwater and the whole damn tub!!! We deserve to know exactly what Chaz did to deserve to be fired this way.
How are the Lakers ever going to attract the Superstar Free Agent Bartenders after they do Chaz like this!!!?!!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!?!!?!?!
This organization is SUPPOSED to be about Championships!!! Chaz was a WINNER!!!!
Let’s see what a CHAZLESS Laker organization can do. God help them…….
A Horse With No Name says
Rockets vs. Spurs last night: Is anyone else in disbelief that D’Antoni played a grand total of seven players last night? Unheard of in a 48 minute playoff game. The loss should be put squarely on him. To this day I despise him, particularly for his poor treatment of Gasol while he coached the lakers (and I hold it against Mitch that he did nothing about it).
There’s always been doubts about the guy’s judgement, largely from his time as the Knicks coach. He clearly doesn’t believe in managing minutes, in spite of all the evidence in favor of it. What a kook.
CraigW. says
While you may not like him, his image around the league is much better. He plays a certain style of basketball. Without Steve Nash the Lakers were unable to play this style. The additional fact that Dwight (baby) Howard refused to play the style D’Antoni wanted certainly didn’t help things.
Tar baby says
Agreed – D’Antoni was a bad fit for an old, slow, iso team…..they would have been better served sticking with Mike Brown. Of all the boneheaded moves Jim Buss made, that was the worst, imo.
FredP says
The real point to be made regarding the Rockets is the need for a quality bench in the playoffs. Eight players is the bare minimum to get through the games. The Rockets had 4 players at 40 or more minutes playing time and the Spurs had 3 with Leonard at 38 when he got injured. The key players for both teams were running on fumes at the end. When the Rockets lost Nene with no viable replacement, it sealed Harden’s fate. They were no longer able to hide him on defense and he was gassed by the time the 4th quarter rolled around. This is part of the reason the Lakers should not be in a hurry to thin out their team in 2 or 3 for one trades. Even superstars get tired playing too many minutes.