The Lakers: Actually Fun Next Year?

[PhoSita]

The long time rival.  The hated enemy.  The dying corpse of the Kobe years.  The crumbling ruins of the ancient Showtime Lakers temple. 



The worst coach in the league.  Three of the most unrepentant gunners in the league, including the least repentant gunner in league history playing out his retirement tour, all on the same team.

This is what the Lakers have been this past year.


Don't look now, but they could actually be ... fun? ... next year.



Here's what the Lakers' young prospects are doing in the month of March so far:

Russell: 23.6 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 47% / 43% / 75% shooting in 33.9 mpg.
Randle: 16.4 points 11.0 rebounds on 50% FG, 83.3% FT in 26.5 mpg.
Clarkson: 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 43.9% / 41.9% / 87.5% shooting in 32.6 mpg.


The Lakers have shown that they are adept at turning one of the easiest team building situations in the league into a tire fire.  Still, it's not hard to imagine how this could turn around in the next six months and be genuinely fun next year.  Enough so that even Celts fans would have to admit it.


Step 1:

Kobe retires, fire Byron Scott. 

Good riddance.  Let the healing begin.

Step 2:

Lottery works out in Lakers' favor.

This means they get a top 3 pick so it doesn't go to Philly.  For the sake of argument let's say they get #2 or #3, which becomes either Brandon Ingram or Jaylen Brown.  They also pick at #32.

Let's say they use #32 on a player with some college experience who may have some untapped potential.  How about: Caris LeVert.


Step 3:

Clear the roster of the old and unclean.

Let Hibbert walk.  Let Bob Sacre walk.  Say goodbye to Metta. 

Use Lou Williams and Brandon Bass as sweetener to dump Nick Young.  Lou and Bass are still valuable role players for a potential playoff team.

How about the Knicks?

Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, Nick Young for Jose Calderon, Kyle O'Quinn, Derrick Williams.


Step 4:

Hire a young coach with no expectation of immediate winning or utilization of the triangle.

How about ... Luke Walton?



Former Laker, showed he can at the very least do no harm leading the way on a very good team.  Why not bring him back and see if he can instill some of the Warriors' ways on the young Lakers?


Step 5:

Sign some young UFAs early on in Free Agency while other teams are bidding on big fish, don't be afraid to overpay.

This is basically the strategy the Blazers employed last year, and it seems to have worked quite well. 

Here, the Lakers can go even bigger because of their market.  They don't need to avoid swinging for the fences, they just need to target guys who will still be in their prime when Russell, Ingram / Brown, and Randle are at their apex 3-4 years from now.


How about this for a free agency haul?

Hassan Whiteside -- $25 million per, 4 years.  Doesn't he just scream "Future Lakers Center" to you?

Kent Bazemore -- 3 years, $15 million per.  He already had one pretty decent season in LA.  Why not bring him back, too?  He wont' have to play next to Kobe this time.

Jon Leuer -- 3 years, $10 million per. A good, solid young vet who doesn't need the ball, can spread the floor, and does the dirty work on the boards.  You want this sort of player on a young team.

Dewayne Dedmon -- 3 years, $7.5 million per.  A reasonably productive 7 footer, he does what you expect a 7 footer to do.  Playing only 10 mpg on an Orlando team flush with talent, he could play closer to 20 for the Lakers and serve as a good investment.


After making these moves, the Lakers can re-sign Jordan Clarkson, who is an UFA with a small cap hold, to a long term deal.


With all of these moves, what do we have left?

Coach: Luke Walton

Starters:

D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Kent Bazemore, Julius Randle, Hassan Whiteside

Bench:

Jose Calderon, Ingram/Brown, Larry Nance Jr., Jon Leuer, Dewayne Dedmon

Deep bench:

Caris LeVert, Kyle O'Quinn, Derrick Williams, Anthony Brown, Marco Huertas


Admit it ... you'd watch that team.

[Ilikesports17]

no. I would honestly not watch that team.

I am not excited about how good their young players are.

[PhoSita]

no. I would honestly not watch that team.

I am not excited about how good their young players are.

[fairweatherfan]

I think the sticking point is resigning Clarkson, who'll probably be a leading contender for "most comically inflated new cap contract". 

Russell looks really nice, I hadn't seen him in a while and watched him play last night.  Confidence level and poise are night and day.

[slamtheking]

no. I would honestly not watch that team.

I am not excited about how good their young players are.

agreed

Lakers =/= Fun ----> EVER!

[PhoSita]

I think the sticking point is resigning Clarkson, who'll probably be a leading contender for "most comically inflated new cap contract". 

Russell looks really nice, I hadn't seen him in a while and watched him play last night.  Confidence level and poise are night and day.

I think they'll hold onto him.  Chances are no other team will offer him a guaranteed starting role.  He could go elsewhere, sign for less, and be a sixth man type. On the Lakers he's fairly established, and they seem to have something good brewing with him and Russell in the backcourt.

Could change if they draft Dunn at #3, of course.

As I understand it his cap hold should be small, so they can sign other guys and then re-sign him using Bird Rights.  Would love to be corrected on this if I'm just plain wrong.


Regarding the NEVER EVER WATCH THE LAKERS!!!! thing, I get it.

But look, if they get rid of Kobe, fire Scott, clear away guys like Lou and Young, could they maybe actually have an air of youth and vitality about them?  Maybe recapture some of the fun, showman style of those teams from the 80's and 90's?

Or using a more recent example, mirror some of what the Blazers have going now, with their young, free-shooting backcourt buttressed by athletic frontcourt running mates?

I never actually got to watch the Bird / Kareem / Magic duels, so I guess this doesn't stir up deep feelings of bitter resentment in me.  I disliked the late 00's Kobe teams, but that was mostly just Kobe and Bynum and Artest.  I actually kind of liked Pau and Odom, if I'm being honest.

Really, I expect the Lakers to continue to screw up their rebuild, even though it ought to be easy.  They've got major dysfunction at the highest levels there.  But the point of this post is, they really could put together a watchable, entertaining, feel-good group if they wanted to.

[LarBrd33]

D'Angelo's first half rookie numbers were arguably better than Wiggins first half last year.  Both started slow.  Both picked up steam over the second half.  He looks like a future star right now.  He was one of my favorite guys in this draft.  I love shooters.  Past 7 games he's averaging like 23 points with 47%/47%/75% shooting.   

[guava_wrench]

Why would it matter to me who is on the Lakers? They are still the Lakers. I don't peruse the lineups of other teams looking for alternate teams to like. I'll watch all team, but the Celtics are the only one where I have an emotional attachment and rooting interest.

My only rooting interest in other teams involves who their opponent is and our draft picks.

Right now, I am rooting for the Lakers to end the season strong so that they end with a better record that the Nets. In fact, I will root for all teams in the lottery that aren't the Nets to win as much as possible.

[GreenFaith1819]

As long as they're losing, yes indeedy.

[PhoSita]

Why would it matter to me who is on the Lakers? They are still the Lakers. I don't peruse the lineups of other teams looking for alternate teams to like. I'll watch all team, but the Celtics are the only one where I have an emotional attachment and rooting interest.

My only rooting interest in other teams involves who their opponent is and our draft picks.

I like watching fun teams.  I'm happy to have NBA League Pass to facilitate that.  The Celts aren't the only team in the league capable of providing entertaining games.

In some ways, it can be refreshing to watch another team, because there's less investment in the players involved and the outcome of any given game. 

I'm always happy to see more fun, exciting teams pop up around the league.  Especially when they're in a different conference than the Celts and therefore pose no threat in the playoffs.


Once upon a time, I resented Lakers fans and wanted to see them humbled by having to watch a crappy team in the doldrums of rebuilding for a season or two.

After the last few years, I think they've had enough of a dose for now.  The Lakers have been one of the most disenchanting, unwatchable situations in the league for a while.


I also tend to be of the opinion that the league is better when the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics are competitive and entertaining.

[apc]

I think the current losing Lakers are VERY fun to watch.

[PhoSita]

I think the current losing Lakers are VERY fun to watch.

Really?  Have you actually watched them this year?  The Kobe Retirement Tour has been pretty awful.  After you watch a couple of highlight reels of Kobe bricking it up, it's not even funny anymore, just sad.

[TheTruthFot18]

no. I would honestly not watch that team.

I am not excited about how good their young players are.

Rather watch the Wolves or Magic (both next year) with a top 10 pick and cap space they have as well.

[PhoSita]

no. I would honestly not watch that team.

I am not excited about how good their young players are.

Rather watch the Wolves or Magic (both next year) with a top 10 pick and cap space they have as well.

The T-Wolves are fun too. 

The Magic are still a bit convoluted.  I'm interested to see how they shape things moving forward.

[D Dub]

They're already super fun to watch, get killed nearly every night-- it's great!