In the latest episode of the Laker Film Room Podcast, me and Pete are joined by Anthony Irwin, Harrison Faigen, and Ben Rosales for a crossover pod with Locked on Lakers.
We talk all things NBA Draft and give analysis on the Lakers’ picks, discuss the D’Angelo Russell trade a bit more, and get into general team building questions to further breakdown what roles we expect from some of the guys as the roster starts to change.
This was a good conversation with some diverse opinions that I really enjoyed. Click through to listen to the entire episode.
https://soundcloud.com/user-456873398/ep-27-locked-on-laker-film-room-draft-crossover-show
As always, you can subscribe, rate, and review the Laker Film Room pod on iTunes here. Thank you for your support!
Jeremy G says
Listening to the Podcast right now. Great content. If possible, can you guys shoot for a better audio quality next time? Some people sound like they’re in a different room than the microphone. Just a suggestion, thanks for the upload!
FredP says
I agree that you need to pay attention to hear what everyone is saying. It is good to hear more discussions of the draft and how the individual players may work out over time. Given that Bryant is still 19, I have hopes that he will be able to crack the rotation eventually. Also, not enough consideration is given to limiting minutes of the players and creating minutes for others as a result. For example, even if Zubac does pan out, I would be surprised to see him play more than 30 min a game. The rest of the time or more may go to small ball lineups and against some teams it may be better to stay big.
drrayeye says
I specifically liked your comments, Darius, but, overall, I found most of the Podcast comments prematurely speculative, laced with a certain amount of cynicism. In the upcoming free agent phase of roster development, unanticipated opportunities may emerge overnight. We have enough cap space going in to sign a medium level free agent (in the $15 million range), but not in the superstar range. We could sign and trade for almost anyone.
I’m still too far from certain who will be on the Laker roster come October to suppose much of anything.
Lakers17 says
They are not going to sign anyone unless it’s a one year deal. I’m not sure they would even do that because if you are under the salary cap, you can bring in more salary than you send out as long as it doesn’t exceed the cap.
As is now, they would only have $60M for 2018, and that’s assuming they renounce Randle.
What they need to do is try to move Deng’s contract, but when teams won’t take his contract even for an unprotected first round draft pick, you know what the Lakers are up against.
If the Lakers are ABSOLUTELY certain of signing three max free agents, if it were me, I’d try to dump anyone other than BI and Ball to get rid of Deng. Stretching Deng in 2018 may help, but it will take up $7M for five years so not ideal.
Even with Lebron and PG, unless there is significant improvement in the youngsters, they can’t get past the Warriors. Maybe if they can get Westbrook.
But I’d hate to see them do this, waste assets, future draft picks, and stunt the growth of the youngsters, and have a bunch of 35 year olds on unmovable contacts.
I was really excited to see a team of Russell, Ball, BI, Randle, and Zubac with Clarkson, Nance, Deng, Mozgov, and Black coming off the bench for the next few years. Now I’m just meh.
drrayeye says
Lakers17,
I think (hope) that they will be pragmatic in team development. Whether or not they get PG right away, for example, makes a huge difference. I don’t see them so focused on cap space and superstars that they ignore having an exciting team this year. I believe we will see interesting trades in response to opportunities as they emerge in the next weeks through October–well before 2018 free agency. If we do things the right way, we’ll never have to renounce Randle or stretch Deng (though they may get traded along the way).
I’m expecting us to show real improvement next season.
Lakers17 says
My understanding is that’s not true. They stated that the 2018 cap space is “sacred”. Otherwise why dump DLo for that cap space. Regardless of the posturing and the Brook Lopez praises, the DLo bashing, I think most know that it’s strictly to open up cap space for two max agents in 2018. Majority of Lakers fans don’t want to see 10 years of the Los Angeles Hawks, where they are perennial playoff team with no real chance of winning a championship. Any season that doesn’t result in a championship is a failed season for most die hard fans. There’s no moral victories, no I’m glad we are competitive. Lakers don’t put up playoff banners.
Minor Threatt says
One thing I think it helps to keep in mind re: roster construction — and specifically, Magic’s recent comments – is that Ball, Kuzma, Hart and Bryant are Magic and Pelinka’s guys. Everyone else on the roster is not.
So I take what Magic said about DLo as much less about Russell, and more about the guys who remain. I don’t think Magic’s comments about Ingram being the only untouchable should be taken lightly, nor do I think his recent comment about Nance showing up in the best shape of his life was an idle remark. If there are roster redundancies, we should assume the new guys are going to have the benefit of the doubt (for financial reasons as well, of course).
You can say Magic ought to talk less, or that sending a shot across the bow to the remaining guys is poor management. But the remaining guys also won less than 30 games. And it’s human nature to prefer the folks you pick yourself.
CraigW. says
Randle’s insane conditioning program this summer makes it more likely he will be on the club come October. Of course, if we can get rid of Deng’s contract by sacrificing Randle, the club will do that, but Randle’s stock is not high right now – due to last year’s record, his going into his 4th year, his need to be paid next year, and his shooting/defensive limitations. He has to prove himself this year or he will be out. Drafting Kuzma illustrated this. Still he is a starter-type player with unique skills and I expect he will be given this year (at least half of it) to prove his worth.
smoothaswilkes says
it’s clear Magic has a plan and guys selected by the prior FO are available. that said, there’s no need to trash Russell before, during, and after the trade. it did nothing to improve his trade value, isn’t very classy, and the optics it created made it seem like Twitter Magic made the trade prematurely. in hindsight, they didn’t want to bring in the new face of the franchise with Russell still around. fine, we’ll see how it works out, but again, taking the high road on DLO might’ve garnered more assets in return and is how i expect the FO to operate.
Lakers17 says
I agree. Why do anything to diminish a players value, particularly before. It’s like they were also trying to justify it after the fact.
I don’t have a lot of confidence in this front staff. It’s like they are selling low now and mortgaging the future based on hopes that multiple events occur.
If no one wanted DLo, then give him another year to mature. How much lower could his stock have gone.
Currently, I feel like the Lakers are already pot committed while holding Jack and a Queen and just hoping for a good flop. If PG goes somewhere else, particularly Cleveland, and they do well, the number of available 2018 free agents goes down to Westbrook and Cousins, two individuals who I do NOT want to see on the Lakers long term.
Carmen Kelly says
Invest in some recording equipment. This is horrific. Couldn’t listen to more than a couple minutes.
George Best says
You do not give up Russel to just get out of a bad contract when even under the best case scenario you aren’t challenging the Warriors for anything for the next two to three years.
You keep Russell and you will get more for him next year or heaven forbid he starts looking like Harden and we decide to keep him: The bad contracts will run out and it will be a coup if we add one legit superstar, which we can afford before this trade, during this time to add with the maturing youngsters which makes us ready to be more than a playoff team 2-3 years from now.
While we don’t know what Russell will be, he’s a kid and we invested in him. You don’t give up on him now when his trade value brings no return talent. You wait.
Magic thinks this is still a league living on his 80s legacy. Players see other options besides LA. Even if a player like George says he wants to come here, no one will help us and teams will still try to get him even if it’s fir just a year. You use young assets to get stars not cap space if you are going to do something.
Maybe we did well in the draft maybe we didn’t but if we are improved because of Ball all the other teams are better.
We are a bottom 5 team next year even if we add a decent free agent. I may not like that but I’d rather be that bad with Russell than without him:
RR says
I have said a few times that:
1. I probably would not have made the Russell deal. I don’t see it as a good gamble.
2. I would have preferred that Jeanie hire a guy like Travis Schlenk (who is now running Atlanta) or Troy Weaver, and promoted Ryan West, rather than hiring a Lakers Legend with no FO exp., and Kobe Bryant’s agent.
Those points noted, the reality is that there are far too many variables in play for anyone to know at this point whether the Russell deal was a good move. Assumptions and spec about Russell’s value going up or down, or about what will happen with Ball or George, are not based on much information or data. It may turn out that Magic is guilty of hubris in how he is approaching the game board and that this move will start him on a quick and unfortunate exit path from his position, or it may turn out that he is right: Russell’s attitude will hinder his career, and Ball will be a transformational player.
This ambiguity is in contrast to the Deng and Mozgov deals, since in those cases, we had a lot of performance data on both players, knowledge of aging curves, contract terms etc. Given that Russell is 21, Ball is 19, and that Paul George and other FAs/impending FAs probably do not know themselves where they are are going to be playing next year, the situation with the Lakers roster construction hopes right now, is, to say the least, fluid.