LeBron James, for his entire career, has been a point forward. He’s often brought the ball up the court, initiated his team’s offensive sets, and been the player most leaned on to quarterback the progressions within those sets to reach a desirable outcome. Even when he’s played with other ball dominant point guards (like Kyrie […]
Lakers Analysis
Flexibility vs. Need and the Lakers Open Roster Spot
While the Lakers waiving and stretching of Luol Deng has mostly been viewed through the lens of financial flexibility and the push for a second star in the Summer of 2019, there are present day ramifications too. By allowing Deng to seek alternative employment opportunities, the Lakers roster now has room to add an additional […]
Embracing the Uncertainty of these Lakers
Jeanie Buss recently said that signing LeBron James in free agency reminded her of when the Lakers, then led by her father and Jerry West, lured Shaq away from Orlando. The magnitude of the moves are surely similar even if only from a name-brand standpoint, to say nothing of the comparisons between both superstars coming […]
The Lakers Have More Shooting Than You Think
Beyond the observation that they have signed some knuckleheads (or, put more kindly, out-sized personalities), the one critique that has been most damning this offseason focuses on the Lakers shooting deficiency. “The Lakers don’t have any shooters” is an oft-used cudgel used to hammer the front office’s approach and it’s coming from almost all who […]
Lonzo Ball: Something Different this Way Comes
He is not yet 21 and his sophomore season in the NBA is still months away. The fanfare of being a No. 2 overall pick along with inherent expectations have faded to some extent. And while Lonzo Ball is not exactly the forgotten man, the arrival of a mythical storm god promises to send him […]
No Laker May Be Asked to Change More than LeBron James
We often, and rightfully, look at superstar players as the center of whatever solar system they inhabit. When that superstar is LeBron James, you can remove the “often” and just lay it out as this is how it goes. When LeBron was on the Cavs, he was the Cavs. It was to the point that […]
On LeBron James, Luke Walton, and Burden Sharing
After the Lakers signed LeBron James, it did not take long for folks to start to question every other aspect of the Lakers organization. This is the gift and the curse of The King. When you have a generational talent on your roster, you reap the benefits of that through that player’s talent, but also […]
LeBron James’ Lakers Challenge is Different
It might seem counterintuitive, but I firmly believe that only those who have actually done something truly know how hard it is to do that thing. Yes, failing at something gives you experience in how hard something is by not accomplishing it, but that gets you no understanding of what it takes to actually, you […]
The Summer of the Lakers’ Mad Genius
The front office of the Los Angeles Lakers did exactly one thing this summer that played to conventional wisdom—they signed LeBron James. After that, the wheels of the free-agency bus seemed to go bumpity-bump, all through the league. But what if all this turns out to be the kind of mad genius that is so […]
Lakers Sign Travis Wear to 2-Way Contract
The Lakers have added another player in free agency and, like some of the prior ones, it should be a name you recognize. Though for slightly different reasons: Free agent forward Travis Wear has agreed to a two-way contract with the Lakers, league sources tell ESPN. He played 17 games with Lakers last season. — […]