Hey everybody, I’m Dan Woike and welcome again to a different version of the LA Occasions’ Lakers’ e-newsletter, my weekly likelihood to talk instantly with you should you don’t mistake this electronic mail for barely discounted tires.
Certainly one of my favourite issues to do is take summer season street journeys (this isn't truly true, however it’s a folksy sufficient of machine to get us to the place we need to be on this electronic mail). And after you load up the automobile, pack the children, cue up the “Encanto” soundtrack and pray for no tantrums, you head towards your remaining vacation spot with some pre-scheduled stops alongside the way in which.
That’s type of the stage of issues proper now with the Lakers – finally they’ll get to the 2022-23 season however not till they cease on the world’s largest thimble and rickety theme park on the way in which.
On this week’s e-newsletter, I wished to share what I feel the route will seem like, highlighting the important thing stops on the itinerary.
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Cease 1: Rent a coach
In my thoughts, earlier than the Lakers do anything, they want to determine who will probably be within the huge chair on the bench.
The choice will dictate not simply the technique the workforce will make use of and the sorts of gamers wanted to implement it, it’ll converse to the general technique of the entrance workplace.
Will the famously (or infamously) collaborative parts of administration cede management and rent a coach who will assemble his personal workers. Will the group pay prime greenback and provide a prolonged contract to rent a prime candidate?
Will it's a coach tied on to LeBron James or Anthony Davis? Is it artistic? Is it predictable?
It’s a tone-setting resolution for what's going to come subsequent and can both codify the course the Lakers are going or muddy it.
Cease 2: Make a Westbrook resolution
This can be a thorny one.
Like we mentioned final week, buying and selling Russell Westbrook as he heads into the ultimate 12 months of his contract (presuming that he’s not allergic to cash and accepts his $47-million possibility) is sophisticated.
Dealing him for a number of rotation gamers – one thing the workforce desperately wants – most likely means taking again unhealthy wage or damage issues and, largely doubtless, each. It’ll additionally most likely means parting with one more first-round decide and perhaps two, basically promoting off their solely remaining property for a participant with yet another 12 months on his deal.
Westbrook, for his half, hasn’t appeared too enthused with the Lakers, both. This week, he triggered a stir amongst followers by scrubbing his Instagram, leaving a singular put up for individuals to dissect.
Coping with all this earlier than the workforce has a coach looks as if a foul concept, although whoever leads the workforce on the bench will need to know what the plan is for Westbrook – an enormous half both incoming or outgoing in what this workforce will seem like.
Cease 3: Put the religion within the scouts
Of all of the locations the place you possibly can really feel assured about what the Lakers can accomplish, making an influence within the draft when you don't have any picks looks as if a longshot. However working out of the primary spherical hasn’t slowed the workforce’s scouting division from discovering rotational gamers from the margins of the league.
Turning unheralded prospects into productive members of the group has been over-shadowed by the workforce’s star searching, however with cap room so scarce, it’s a crucial piece of the group’s future. Armed with Austin Reaves’ success final season, you possibly can count on the Lakers to be aggressive for the highest undrafted gamers – and that’s if the workforce doesn’t attempt to purchase its approach into the second spherical to pick out a participant.
Cease 4: Signal a workforce
The Lakers have James. They've Davis. They've Talen Horton-Tucker. Kendrick Nunn has stated he’ll decide up his participant possibility. The workforce has a membership possibility on Reaves (no approach they don’t decide it up), Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel. Add Westbrook and there’s nonetheless seven spots to be full of solely the taxpayer mid-level exception.
If the Lakers provide that to Malik Monk (and he accepts), the Lakers will probably be discount procuring as they attempt to fill out the lineup with two-way gamers who complement what already exists.
A take a look at the gamers who could possibly be there at that value vary is fairly ugly, which means the Lakers will should be fortunate or persuasive and, perhaps, each. They’ll want to search out a number of rotation gamers, and gulp, perhaps even a starter with out having the ability to spend actual cash.
It’s gonna be powerful.
Wild-card: The LeBron James x-factor
Lurking beneath all of that is James and the prospect of a contract extension.
If the Lakers signal him to 1, it hyperlinks them to probably the most “win now” participant perhaps within the league’s historical past, a famous person nearing 40 with a confirmed observe file of being the centerpiece of a winner.
If the Lakers don’t conform to an extension with James, they solely have yet another assured season with him, a state of affairs that could possibly be extremely uncomfortable.
With out James’ dedication, can the Lakers credibly sacrifice future property for short-term options if James is simply set to stroll? And if James has one 12 months left on his deal, and the Lakers aren’t aggressive sufficient to his liking, he may pull the eject lever, leaving the workforce with a title (and never a lot else) in his tenure with the group.
Regardless of the Lakers do, the street ends firstly of the subsequent season. However solely a idiot would count on that it might be completely easy.
Music of the week
Fairly self-explanatory right here – however an all-time nice driving tune that’ll go away your arms bruised from drumming towards the steering wheel.
In case you missed it
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Can Jerry West take his case towards HBO to the Supreme Court docket? Or any courtroom?
Judy Seto, a longtime Lakers coaching workers presence, is now not with the workforce
Contained in the Lakers teaching search: Will they study from issues of the previous?
Till subsequent time...
As at all times, go alongside your ideas to me at daniel.woike@latimes.com, and please contemplate subscribing should you like our work!
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