3 Wins, 1 Ugly Loss, 2 Moral Victories

Six games into the 2026 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders find themselves at .500. They opened the year with three consecutive victories, giving Raider Nation plenty of reasons to get excited. But three straight losses have since brought everyone back down to earth.

So, which version of the Raiders is the real one?

The answer, as is often the case with a team still under construction, lies somewhere in between.

The Raiders have shown that they can win games, overcome adversity, and compete with some of the AFC's best. At the same time, they've exposed some serious flaws that will keep them from consistently competing with the league's elite. The first three weeks gave us a glimpse of what this team could become. The last three have reminded us of how much work remains.

And honestly? A 3–3 start isn't a bad place to be.

Three Wins That Gave Raider Nation Hope

Let's rewind to September. Coming into the season, I wasn't expecting the Raiders to start 3–0. A new head coach in Klint Kubiak, a new offensive system, new personnel, and plenty of questions surrounding the roster made it difficult to know what to expect.

Yet, somehow, the Raiders found a way to win their first three games.

Week 1: Miami Dolphins — Win, 27–13

The season opener against Miami was arguably the most winnable game on the schedule. The Dolphins were rebuilding, and the Raiders had an opportunity to establish some momentum under their new coaching staff.

They took care of business, winning by two touchdowns. Kirk Cousins threw for two touchdown passes to Ashton Jeanty, who made an immediate impact as both a runner and a receiver. The Raiders also controlled possession for nearly 35 minutes and outgained Miami 290–259.

It wasn't a flawless performance. Miami remained within striking distance for much of the game, and the Raiders still looked like a team learning to execute a new system. But they made enough plays on offense, while the defense came up with timely stops and turnovers to secure the victory.

It was a solid opening statement. Not a championship statement, but a solid one nonetheless.

Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers — Win, 26–14

This was where things started to get interesting.

The Chargers were coming off an 11–6 season in 2025, and nobody should have expected them to stumble to an 0–6 start. Going on the road to face a divisional opponent with a more established roster was a genuine test for the Raiders.

And they passed.

The Raiders earned a 26–14 victory at SoFi Stadium, overcoming a sluggish start to take control of the game. Tre Tucker's 40-yard touchdown reception gave the offense a spark, while the defense forced three turnovers and helped prevent the Chargers from building momentum.

The overall yardage was nearly even, with the Raiders gaining 305 yards to Los Angeles' 310. The difference was that the Raiders made the more important plays when opportunities presented themselves.

That matters. A rebuilding team doesn't need to dominate every statistical category to win. It needs to capitalize on mistakes, protect its leads, and find ways to finish games.

The Raiders did exactly that.

Week 3: New Orleans Saints — Win, 35–27

If the Chargers game demonstrated resilience, the Saints game demonstrated the Raiders' ability to respond when things got uncomfortable.

Playing in the Superdome is never an easy assignment, regardless of the opponent's record. The Raiders found themselves in a back-and-forth contest and needed a strong fourth quarter to leave New Orleans with a victory.

Cousins threw three touchdown passes without an interception, while Brock Bowers hauled in 10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. also contributed a 36-yard rushing touchdown.

The Raiders finished with 340 total yards, compared with New Orleans' 381. They weren't the more productive team by yardage, but they were the more effective team on the scoreboard.

Most importantly, the defense delivered in the fourth quarter, turning a competitive game into an eight-point victory.

Three games. Three wins. Two road victories. A divisional win against a team many expected to be competitive, followed by another comeback-style performance on the road.

By the end of September, Raider Nation had every reason to feel optimistic. Maybe Kubiak's system was taking hold faster than expected. Maybe Cousins could provide the stability this offense needed. Maybe the defense could build on its opportunistic start.

For the first time in a while, there was something tangible to get excited about.

But then came October.

Three Losses That Brought Us Back to Reality

The Raiders' opening three victories were encouraging, but they also came against teams that presented different challenges from the AFC's established contenders. The next three games would provide a much clearer picture of where this roster stood.

Unfortunately, they also exposed its limitations.

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs — Loss, 30–27

The Chiefs came into Allegiant Stadium undefeated, and this was the Raiders' first major opportunity to prove that their 3–0 start was more than an early-season hot streak.

For most of the afternoon, the Raiders looked capable of pulling off the upset.

They actually outgained Kansas City 437–399 and controlled possession for nearly 36 minutes. The offense moved the ball effectively, and the Raiders were right there with one of the AFC's perennial contenders.

Then came the fourth quarter.

Kansas City scored 20 points in the final period, including two rushing touchdowns from Kenneth Walker III in a devastating stretch that turned a 19–17 Raiders lead into a 30–19 deficit.

The Raiders responded with a late touchdown to Bowers, but their comeback attempt fell short.

This wasn't a game in which the Raiders were simply outclassed. They generated enough offense to win. The problem was their inability to contain Kansas City's late surge.

That is the difference between a team that can hang around and one that knows how to close out a contender.

Still, losing by three points to an undefeated Chiefs team wasn't a reason to panic. It was a painful result, but also a useful measuring stick.

Week 5: New England Patriots — Loss, 45–17

Then came the ugly one. And once again everybody after this game is saying what we've been enduring for a long time: "Same Old Raiders".

The Raiders traveled to New England to face the reigning AFC champions, and whatever positives they carried out of the Kansas City game quickly evaporated.

The Patriots overwhelmed them, winning 45–17. New England generated 536 total yards of offense, compared with just 306 for Las Vegas. The Raiders also committed eight penalties for 101 yards, repeatedly putting themselves in difficult situations.

This was a comprehensive defeat. The offense struggled to sustain its performance, the defense couldn't consistently slow the Patriots, and the penalty problems only made matters worse.

The East Coast trip may have presented its usual challenges, but the time-zone difference cannot explain away a performance like this. Good teams travel, adjust, and compete. The Raiders failed to do enough of those things in New England.

Of the three losses, this was the one that deserved the most criticism.

It exposed the gap between the Raiders and a team that had re-established itself as an AFC powerhouse. It also showed how quickly things can unravel when the offense cannot sustain drives and the defense spends too much time on the field.

There is no moral victory here and the Raiders were flat out embarrassed this game. It was not a good look for us Bay Area fans who've longed for their return to our TVs in the region since they were blacked out for the past couple weeks as they shared the same time slot with the 49ers.

Week 6: Buffalo Bills — Loss, 33–30

After the New England debacle, the Raiders needed to show some fight. Facing the Buffalo Bills, another of the AFC's premier teams, provided an opportunity to do just that.

And to their credit, they responded.

Buffalo won 33–30, but this was a much more competitive performance. The Raiders gained 378 total yards, outgaining the Bills' 345, and Kirk Cousins threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Tucker was a major factor in the passing game, finishing with 97 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.

The Raiders were within striking distance throughout the afternoon. They even rallied in the fourth quarter, with Tre Tucker catching an 11-yard touchdown and then a spectacular 44-yard score late in the game.

But the same issues that have plagued this team all season resurfaced at the worst possible moments.

The offense struggled to turn enough opportunities into touchdowns, finishing just 2-for-5 in the red zone. Cousins also threw a costly interception, and Buffalo's offense found ways to answer when it needed to a la Josh Allen magic. The Raiders' final touchdown made the score look close, but they couldn't recover the ensuing onside kick to get another opportunity.

Once again, the Raiders were competitive without being able to finish the job.

Still, there's a meaningful distinction between losing 45–17 and losing 33–30. One was a blowout that exposed the team's weaknesses across the board. The other showed that, even against a strong opponent, the Raiders could move the ball and fight until the final moments.

That's not enough to win consistently. But it is something to build on.

The Problems We Can No Longer Ignore

The three-game losing streak has made one thing clear: the Raiders have legitimate issues that need to be addressed before they can compete consistently with the best teams in the league.

1. The running game needs to become more reliable.

Ashton Jeanty remains an important part of the offense, but the ground game has struggled to provide the consistency this team needs. Whether it's his health and workload, the offensive line's run blocking, or the execution of the scheme, the Raiders haven't consistently established a dependable rushing attack.

That puts additional pressure on Cousins and the passing game. When opponents don't have to respect the run, they can focus more attention on the receivers and passing lanes.

Mike Washington Jr.'s contributions against New Orleans and his increased opportunities against Buffalo are encouraging. The coaching staff needs to find ways to get production from the entire backfield rather than asking Jeanty to shoulder too much of the burden.

2. The offensive line must do more in critical situations.

The Raiders have shown they can generate passing yards, but moving the ball between the 20-yard lines is only part of the equation. They need better consistency in the running game and cleaner execution in short-yardage and red-zone situations.

The Buffalo game was a perfect example. The Raiders gained more total yards than the Bills, yet still lost because they couldn't convert enough opportunities into touchdowns.

That is the kind of margin that separates playoff contenders from teams still trying to establish themselves.

3. The defense needs to adjust when opponents adjust.

The defense looked opportunistic during the opening three games, particularly against the Chargers. But the recent stretch has tested defensive coordinator Rob Leonard and his ability to make adjustments against more experienced offenses.

The Kansas City game was especially frustrating. The Raiders held a lead entering the fourth quarter, only to surrender 20 points in the final period.

The Bills game was another reminder that containing elite quarterbacks requires discipline, communication, and execution on every down. The defense has shown flashes, but those flashes need to become sustained performances.

4. The roster still has some glaring weaknesses.

The defensive interior needs more impact, particularly when it comes to disrupting the quarterback and limiting the running game. The secondary is young and still developing, which can leave it vulnerable against experienced quarterbacks and talented receiving groups.

The wide receiver room also needs greater consistency. Tucker's emergence is a positive, but the offense needs dependable production from more than one or two targets.

These aren't problems that can necessarily be solved overnight. Some will require better coaching and development. Others may require personnel changes through the draft, free agency, or trades.

That's the reality of rebuilding a roster. You don't fix everything in one offseason, and the first six games have given the Raiders a much clearer picture of where the work needs to be done.

Three Wins, Three Losses, but Three Wins, One Ugly Loss, Two Moral Victories

So here we are: three wins and three losses.

The official standings don't distinguish between a three-point loss to Kansas City, a three-point loss to Buffalo, and a 28-point loss to New England. They're all losses, and the Raiders have to own that.

But context matters.

The Raiders started 3–0, exceeding expectations and showing that Kubiak's team could win games even when things didn't go perfectly. They then faced three difficult opponents and discovered just how steep the climb remains.

New England handed them an undeniable reality check. There is no sugarcoating that performance.

Kansas City and Buffalo, however, offered something different. The Raiders were competitive against both teams and had opportunities to make those games even more interesting. They showed that they can move the ball against quality defenses, respond to adversity, and remain in contention late into games.

The frustrating part is that they haven't consistently made the plays necessary to turn those performances into wins.

That's where the Raiders need to grow.

Moral victories don't count in the standings, and Raider Nation shouldn't settle for them forever. But for a team still establishing its identity, these performances can offer valuable lessons. They reveal what works, what breaks down under pressure, and what must improve before this team can take the next step.

The goal isn't to celebrate a 3–3 record as if the Raiders have already arrived. It's to recognize that the first three games showed promise, while the next three exposed the work still ahead.

Both things can be true.

Raider Nation, Don't Hit the Panic Button Just Yet

I understand why some of us are frustrated. Starting 3–0 raises expectations, and losing three straight is never easy to stomach. It's especially frustrating when two of those losses are close enough to make you wonder what might have been. We've seen this cycle so many times across this team's myriad of failed regimes where this team we believe is on the come up. But there's those games that they should have won, taken care of business, and they failed.

But we also need to remember where this team is in its development. 

John Spytek and Klint Kubiak are building something that will take time. The roster has talent, but it isn't a finished product. The coaching staff is still learning what works best with its personnel, and the players are still learning how to execute within a new system.

One offseason wasn't going to fix every weakness. Six games certainly won't.

The next step is turning these lessons into progress. The Raiders need to clean up the penalties, improve the offensive line's consistency, get more out of the running game, and learn how to finish against strong opponents. The defense must find answers when opposing offenses begin to exploit its weaknesses.

And the team needs to do all of that while continuing to develop its younger players.

That's a tall order, but it's also what a rebuild looks like.

The 3–0 start was exciting, and perhaps some of us rode that high a little too much. The three-game losing streak has brought us back to reality. The Raiders are not yet on the same level as the AFC's elite, and the gap is more evident now than it was a month ago.

But the season isn't over. The promise hasn't disappeared. And a 3–3 record, with plenty of football still to play, is hardly a reason to give up on the direction of the franchise. The only thing we can take solace in is in 5 of these 6 games, the Raiders have shown that they're not going to lay down easily like in years' past.

We wanted to see signs of progress. We got them in September. Now we need to see whether the organization can respond to adversity and build on what it has learned in October.

The Raiders have shown us what they can be. Now it's time for them to prove they can become that team consistently.

Give Spytek and Kubiak time. Keep the expectations realistic, keep holding the team accountable, and let the process play out.

This is a work in progress, Raider Nation.

And this is only the beginning.

All My Laker Homies Hate Austin Reaves

 

Is the hate justified or over-the-top?

We are now just nearly a week away from the start of the new NBA Season. And the Lakers have undergone an extreme makeover this past offseason. Out goes LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes. In goes Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, and among others.

The most important headline here is that the Lakers are giving Luka Doncic full free reins to the team after allowing LeBron to walk to Philly. Though there are new faces on the team for Luka to work with, at least he'll have one running mate there in the backcourt that'll give him a sense of continuity.

And that man is Austin Reaves. 

The Lakers didn't waste any time at the start of the offseason to lock up Reaves to a 4-year, $185 million contract. It is without question the largest contract accepted for an NBA player that went undrafted. 

Austin Reaves' story offers a lot of "feel-good" vibes in the NBA. This is a kid that went undrafted.  Year by year, he has carved out a role into the Lakers and has continually increased his production output in the stats sheet each season. For a small sample size last year, when the Lakers were missing both Luka and LeBron, Reaves was the unquestioned #1 go to guy and he was putting up "All-Star" tier numbers before nagging injuries piled on and stunted his sensational regular season start.

Though Reaves' journey should be a source of inspiration for those who want to make it into the NBA as an undrafted player, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding whether Reaves can be a legit or is a legit player in the league. And the biggest source of this skepticism is coming from...the Laker fanbase itself.

I've been following a specific Laker fan page on Facebook for some time (since 2017 to be exact). And the admins who run that page are openly very critical about Austin Reaves' place in the Lakers since his breakthrough campaign in the 2022-23 NBA season when the Lakers went on a deep playoff run to the Conference Finals. And if you are in a dissenting opinion and defend/justify Reaves' place, they double down that Reaves has not proven himself, doesn't have the All-Star accolades, and he should be traded or accept a Sixth Man role. Each time a trade rumor comes up involving Reaves in a hypothetical trade package (mostly which are either satire or an unrealistic trade path for the Lakers because NBA teams want the Lakers to overpay in trades), if you side on "keep Reaves", the admins double down, citing the same reasons mentioned, and they accuse you of being a Reaves fan or overrating him like he's the second coming of Larry Bird.

So I am trying to read this situation. Why exactly is Austin Reaves the most polarizing player among Laker fans? And is the hate justified or over-the-top?

If we look on the flip side, yes some of Austin Reaves' game warrants some criticism. He's had stellar regular season numbers. But in the playoffs, those same numbers dwindle down, especially in a 7-game series against the same opponent. In 2025, he played poorly. In 2026, granted he was coming off an injury, but wasn't great opposite to what the stats sheets say against a more athletic defensive team like the Oklahoma City Thunder. And yes, he is a not-so-great perimeter defender and we are very scared to see how he and Luka will fare this season no matter how much guys like Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, and Matiesse Thybulle are added to cover their deficiencies on defense.

But some of the negative Austin Reaves discourse I've seen in the past from this Laker Fan Page on Facebook is a bit over-the-top. Most of the time I'm thinking, these admins are imploring the Lakers to get rid of Austin Reaves at this point just for the sake of getting rid of him. I can name a few hot takes on the top of my head that they've given out through the years that  decreases your basketball I.Q. each time you read them (paraphrasing here): 

"D'Angelo Russell is better than Austin Reaves because he's a better shooter and he is an All-Star unlike Reaves." - D'Lo gets passed around NBA teams year-to-year due to his erratic play.

"Gabe Vincent can do the same things Austin Reaves can do, but he can play defense." - The same Gabe Vincent who only had one good year in Miami, disappeared for the Lakers, and only averaged 2.0 PPG in last year's playoffs with the Hawks?

In a hypothetical trade scenario where the Lakers trade Reaves to the Pelicans for Zion Williamson: "Zion Williamson is more talented and has a few All-Star nods unlike Reaves." - Ok, have fun with more injury and weight management problems.

And of course in choosing between Reaves and LeBron in this free agency, these admins would rather have the Lakers re-sign LeBron to a max contract and let Reaves walk. And despite all that, the Lakers were not hesitant to choose 28-year old Reaves over 41-year old LeBron James. Let that sink in.

Even though there is more to be desired from Reaves, especially with the contract the Lakers gave him this past summer, the Lakers brought him back mainly because of Luka Doncic. You can't deny the immediate on and off court chemistry they have built with each other (they're like brothers at this point). And from a basketball standpoint: he fits the timeline (he's a year older than Luka) and the Lakers see him as a secondary scorer/facilitator. He's essentially taking that Kyrie Irving role as a secondary scorer / facilitator when Luka and the Mavs made the NBA Finals in 2024. And that is exactly the Lakers' plan this offseason: build a team similar to that 2023-24 Mavs team, but with incrementally more offensive output. And Austin Reaves is expected to take on a bigger role as the unquestioned #2 on the roster.

Through Austin Reaves, the Lakers have done something that hasn't been in their franchise encyclopedia for a very long time: develop a homegrown talent. An undrafted one of all players! So regardless on which coin you side when it comes to Austin Reaves, the fact of the matter is this: he is a Laker. And he is here to stay for the foreseeable future whether you like him or not. And if it's not Austin Reaves in the backcourt with Luka, then who is a realistic piece that the Lakers can get that can take his place?

TrueRaiderLaker Productions is NOT Dead

 

Raider Nation...it's been 7 LONG YEARS! And did I miss this feeling of editing hype videos for you all! It's been such an emotional road to get back to this feeling since I released The Oakland Raiders: Endgame back in 2019. If you're ever wondering did I ever consider uploading another Raiders hype video the following year? To answer shortly: yes. During their first season in Las Vegas, I had something planned, but I never went through with it. Not to bring up 2020 again, but that year has impacted my life trajectory a lot and I wasn't in the right state of mind to edit another Raider hype video or any videos of that matter at that time. Probably the earliest that I was considering a return was 2024, but I've been preoccupied elsewhere with a very busy professional career. Also admittedly, it was bitter sweet to see the Raiders move out of Oakland and California entirely. So it probably wasn't the right time for me to edit another video until I get over my own 5 Stages of Grief as a Raider fan from the Bay Area before finally accepting that they have a sustainable home in Las Vegas, free from the tomfoolery of Oakland politics and their now former Coliseum MLB co-tenants, the A’s. I will be frank, I wasn’t happy with my last two Raiders hype videos. Besides the obvious reasons with the whole Khalil Mack trade in 2018 and Antonio Brown’s crashout fiasco in 2019, it was mostly poor planning on my end and just waiting until August to gather even though looking back at the edits, there were some things I was happy about. But I was running on fumes to get those videos out there before the start of the opener. Luckily both times, the Raiders were playing on Monday Night Football.

But for this project, I made sure to learn from those mistakes and plan this ahead. Because I was roadmapping this project since the beginning of February at the same time Klint Kubiak was hired as the Head Coach. I took into consideration the scenarios that the Raiders were in position to do. They had the #1 pick and in position to draft Fernando Mendoza. At the same time, Maxx Crosby is on the trade block. There’s rumors that Derek Carr might un-retire and join them. I drew up all these scenarios to make sure there was a Plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan C. Just like in football, you have a play call dialed up. But the opposing defense is giving you a different look at the line of scrimmage, so you gotta know when to call an audible and change to a different play to throw the defense off. If you’re wondering with all the cryptic “My Casino Business Plan” posts in the last few months, that was the secret codename that I named this project as. Haha. Considering it has been awhile and nobody knew. Not even my inner circle who are Raider fans and know that I made hype videos in the past knew that I was making a video in secret. They floated this idea that it was the perfect time and I’ve constantly denied I was making a hype video and I was making an original video to check out: “My Casino Business Plan.” I’ve been dropping a lot of hints on the video on my YouTube Community channel, posting images of John (Spytek) Cena, C(K)lint (Kubiak) Eastwood, Captain Kirk (Cousins), T.J. Maxx (Crosby), The (Jackson) 5, Austin (Powers), Magic (Johnson), Brock (Bowers) Lesnar, Ashton (Jeanty) Kutcher, etc. I wasn’t sure how much of the secret I gave away at that time that this was ultimately my first Raiders hype video in 7 years. And now, the secret is finally out of the bag to unveil this project that I’ve been working on for the past 6 months. So best kept secret? Or worst best kept secret? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. I had a great pool of trailer music for this project. Ranging Hi Finesse to Audiomachine, two music productions whose scores I used in my previous Raiders "From the Ashes" and "Endgame" hype videos back in 2017 and 2019. But this score in particular from Twelve Titans Music, I felt very strongly about and it resonated with the new culture that the Raiders are trying to build slowly and steadily under John Spytek and Klint Kubiak coupled by the near-perfect offseason, bringing in guys like Tyler Linderbaum, Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Kirk Cousins, drafting Mendoza #1, and somehow still keeping Maxx Crosby on the team! Of course, we still have some holes that the team didn’t address. But we gotta remember the old saying that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. This roster is good enough to at the very least keep the Raiders competitive in games. This offseason is more so about bringing in players who buy into Spytek and Kubiak’s vision and want to contribute to resetting the culture of the Raiders away from its recent losing past. There will be growing pains this season because everything is new again. But trust we finally have a direction from this organization that will trend them upwards on a course for long-term, sustainable success. And I feel this video has captured this theme. Then again, we’ve sung this song every year and it hasn’t worked out. But the carousel has to stop at some point. Safe to say, we’re at a good start. You can’t ask for anything better in a culture reset by hiring a Super Bowl-winning OC as the Head Coach and drafting a Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion at #1 as the future franchise QB. If you read this far or TLDR, simply put: the hype is back and there is a "Culture Shift" brewing! Enjoy and go Raiders!

Oh yeah, and I will be in Vegas in Week 1.

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The LeBron James Laker Legacy

 

After 8 years, it is over.

Everyone is likely informed by this news. But just in case, LeBron James has announced his decision that he will NOT play for the Los Angeles Lakers this upcoming season. Basketball discourse has jumped all over this news non-stop and everybody is looking with great intrigue on this headline: "What's next for LeBron James"?

The LeBron era in Los Angeles will forever be remembered as a mixed bag. Depending on who you ask, it was either a success because it restored the Lakers to championship relevance and produced an NBA title, or it was a disappointment because one championship in eight seasons simply isn't enough for the NBA's most decorated franchise. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

When LeBron signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018, it was the spark that this franchise desperately needed. Following Kobe Bryant's retirement, the Lakers had become irrelevant by their own standards. The mystique of wearing the Purple and Gold faded. Every offseason, superstar free agents would schedule meetings with the Lakers, only to use them as leverage to secure larger contracts from their current teams or elsewhere.

Part of the blame rested on the Lakers themselves. The organization struggled to articulate a long-term vision that convinced superstar players to buy into the future of the franchise. The front office cycled through rebuilding plans, lottery picks, and coaching changes without establishing a clear identity.

Then LeBron arrived 2018 and the Lakers have become a desirable destination for superstar-caliber players again. Within a year, the Lakers successfully acquired Anthony Davis, pairing him with LeBron to form one of the league's premier duos. That partnership delivered the 2020 NBA championship, ending a decade-long title drought and giving the Lakers their 17th championship banner. Years later, the Lakers leveraged Davis in another franchise-altering move, sending him to Dallas in exchange for Luka Dončić. Whether or not that trade ultimately becomes another championship move remains to be seen, but it illustrates how LeBron's arrival fundamentally reshaped the direction of the organization.

During LeBron's 8 years, the Lakers have made the playoffs 6 times. This includes a 2019-20 championship run, no matter how many detractors try to discredit the Bubble Ring and another Western Conference Finals appearance in 2023.

Those are the positives. The negatives? One title in 8 years is underwhelming by Laker standards. There were so many opportunities to add on more in the following years. But it was all wasted away because of inner fighting with Lakers management and LeBron and Klutch Sports behind-the-scenes. 

Following the 2021 playoff disappointment against the Phoeneix Suns, both LeBron and the Lakers panicked. Looking across the league, they saw the Brooklyn Nets assembling Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving into what looked like an unstoppable superteam. Instead of staying patient, the Lakers attempted to answer with star power of their own. They traded for Russell Westbrook while adding veterans such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, hoping experience and name recognition would compensate for poor roster construction. It failed spectacularly. The roster lacked shooting, spacing, perimeter defense, and chemistry. The Westbrook experiment became one of the most disappointing superteams in recent NBA history and set the Lakers back several seasons. And both LeBron and the Lakers deserve blame for wasting that year and putting in the peculiar position they are in now.

And when a team has LeBron James on the roster, they are under the microscope of mainstream sports media and basketball talking heads non-stop. The Lakers were already media darlings. But when LeBron joined, the coverage around the team increased tenfold. When the Lakers won, LeBron received the overwhelming share of the praise. When they lost, the blame often shifted toward teammates, coaches, or the front office. It became an exhausting cycle that many Lakers fans like myself grew tired of, even if it wasn't entirely LeBron's doing. His presence naturally attracts nonstop media attention unlike any other player in basketball. We also can't forget about the coaching turnover that happened under LeBron's watch, going from Luke Walton, to Frank Vogel, to Darvin Ham, and finally, to JJ Redick.

LeBron has broken a lot of statistical milestones during his Laker tenure and those statistical milestones became nightly television events, regardless of whether the team won or lost. But a lot of those games where LeBron had a record-breaking night, the Lakers typically suffered the latter. Historic accomplishments like becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer deserved celebration, but there were also stretches where individual milestones seemed to dominate the conversation while the team struggled to consistently compete and string wins together.

Finally, there was the Bronny James situation. The Lakers' decision to draft LeBron's son was always going to invite accusations of nepotism and questions about whether a valuable roster spot was being used for reasons beyond basketball. To Bronny's credit, he showed meaningful improvement during his development and took encouraging strides last season, but the optics of the decision became yet another subplot surrounding the LeBron era.

With new ownership in place under Mark Walter and some staff from the Dodgers that followed Walter to the Lakers in front office positions, it's obvious that the franchise is going to an all new direction. They have a vision for the franchise moving forward—and that vision simply did not include extending the LeBron era indefinitely. In many ways, the signs had already been there when the Lakers committed to Austin Reaves with a four-year maximum extension. It became increasingly clear where the organization saw its future. Combined with Luka Dončić, the franchise has effectively decided to choose the future for the franchise rather than look back to a player who's still good, but he's 42 and you can't expect him to hang around forever.

With LeBron gone, new ownership, a commitment to Luka and Reaves, a lot of pressure is now falling on Rob Pelinka. This is now the offseason for him to see what he's made of as a GM. Unfortunately, his start has been far from encouraging. The Lakers have not been nearly aggressive enough in strengthening the roster around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves so far. They are not prioritizing bringing back key free agents such as Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura while leaving significant questions unanswered elsewhere on the roster. And Rob is definitely hearing the collective groans from Laker fans. Outside of trading for AD and trading for Luka, Rob's roster transactions throughout the years have been mostly pathetic to say the least. So, Rob's got his work cut out and he's on thin ice with this new ownership.

Now comes the next chapter. Where will LeBron James finish one of the greatest careers basketball has ever seen? Personally, I believe the answer should be Cleveland. If he wants to bow out of basketball with whatever grace/dignity he has left, finish it out with Cleveland and get the farewell tour from there. If he goes elsewhere, like the Warriors, he's gonna hear the "superteam hopper" and "mercenary ring chaser" monikers again from detractors. People will disqualify him more from the GOAT conversation, which I find very tiring in my opinion. I think LeBron has more than earned the right to punch his ticket elsewhere this time around, especially since he's old now. Appreciate him while he's around because it'll take the NBA another 20 years or so to find another abnormal freak athlete like him.

In closing, "The Age of LeBron" in Los Angeles is officially over. It has been a long marriage and it definitely wasn't perfect. But at the end of the day, LeBron did his job making the Lakers relevant again and delivering a championship. That at the very least is the bare minimum we can accept. So, thank you, LeBron. And good luck on your new team wherever that is.

Maxx'd Out

Update 3/10: BALTIMORE BACKED OUT!?!?!? This offseason's crazy.

We can now move on.

The Raiders have been quite the subject of discussion during this offseason. They have #1 overall pick in the NFL draft, which in all likelihood they will take Heisman/Natty-winning QB, Fernando Mendoza. After the Super Bowl, they went ahead and hired without question the hottest candidate in the coaching market, Super Bowl-winning Offensive Coordinator, Klint Kubiak (whom I was 100% onboard in bringing in). They have a lot cap room to go out and spend in free agency. Everything is aligned for the Raiders to fully rebuild and potentially change the culture for the better.

Except there was one big elephant in the room. It was not a matter of if, but a matter of when. And in the dead of this past Friday night, the Raiders did the thing. They traded away Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens two first round picks: one for this year at #14 overall and another for 2027.

We've all seen this movie before 7 years ago when the Raiders traded away Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears in the midst of a contract tussle between both parties. This is the sequel. Another example of the Raiders giving away a generational defensive superstar.

But the thing is that this sequel didn't hurt as much as the first movie. Mack getting traded away hurt my soul because it came out of nowhere a few days before the start of the 2018 NFL Season. (I still to this day haven't forgiven Jon Gruden about that). This one, you were prepared for the inevitable breakup. Because Maxx made it known that he wanted out since the Raiders shut him down for the "Tank Bowl" against the New York Giants. And he made it known he wanted to compete now rather than go through another rebuilding phase. So, the noises were loud and clear. And when it got too loud, John Spytek and the Raiders decided to turn it down with this trade.

If anything, this trade is a win-win for both teams. Maxx gets to go to a contender. The Ravens are still a talented team with an established QB in Lamar Jackson, they have Derrick Henry, some pieces on defense, and a new head coach to bring them new blood. So they still have an established core there and they see Maxx as the missing piece. 

The Raiders, as much as it sucks to say, they're hitting the reset button again. But this is by design. Maxx Crosby staying on the team won't bring much benefit as he doesn't fit the timeline. The Raiders are clearly planning to build around Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and potentially Fernando Mendoza. They are without question going to be the new faces of the franchise moving forward with Klint Kubiak at the helm to help unlock their full potential. And Kubiak in the combine mentioned that they're switching their defensive scheme to a 3-4 defense and Maxx's fit in the new scheme was highly questioned because he's not the prototypical 3-4 defensive end. 

By trading away Crosby, they get more draft capital and more cap space. With the #1 overall pick #14 pick to go with picks at the top of each round, the Raiders have a chance to accelerate their rebuild. Which is easier said than done because the Raiders have been notorious in blowing their draft picks, reaching for underwhelming talent or finding diamonds in the rough but wasting them away. This is going to be a very important year for Spytek and Kubiak to lay down the vision for the Raiders to finally get the ship right.

Losing a talent like Maxx Crosby still hurts. One of our greatest pitfalls as fans of a team is that we get emotionally connected to a player that devotes his loyalty to the team and consistently performs at a high level night in and night out. And that perfectly describes Maxx Crosby. It's mind-blowing to think he's one of the few last remaining Oakland Raiders on the roster. Of course, they still have Kolton Miller and could possibly bring back Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole and maybe they bring back Alec Ingold from free agency. But Maxx is like the last standout superstar from the Oakland era. And losing a talent like him hurts. But some of us will be rooting for him. He has a chance for a ring. And hope he has a lot of success in Baltimore, just not against the Raiders.

As for the Raiders, this is the second time they pulled this. By any means, should they ensure this does NOT happen a third time. But we all can move on now and usher in a new era. With a Super Bowl-winning coach as the Head Coach and a Heisman and National Champion franchise QB potentially on the way in the draft, the Raiders can't ask for a better head start in the rebuilding phase. At this point, we just have to trust the process and hope that this team finally gets it right.

Raiders, This is Not a Difficult Decision

 

Aside from the Week 1 win against the Patriots, there was not much to celebrate about the Raiders during the 2025 season. It was just a typical year of Raiders football. The optimism turned into disappointment real quick.

We all know the old saying that "there is always next year." But in the last few years, there was not much optimism to look forward to with Raider Nation.

But this is different. The Raiders' sunk 2025 campaign awarded them the #1 overall pick in this year's draft. But of course, the #1 pick comes with skepticism. Because the last time the Raiders were in this position, they drafted some guy who's only highlight reel was throwing 90 yards deep while kneeling down on one leg. And the rest of that guy's career outlook was history.

That was nearly 19 years ago. 19 years later, the Raiders are in position to reverse that narrative: to draft a proven future franchise QB that will renew Raider Nation's hope and optimism, to change the fortunes of years of organizational football malpractice, ineptitude, and dysfunction.

We all know his name by now. But after the performances he's putting up during the College Football Playoffs, Raider Nation is singing his name in unison: Indiana Hoosiers QB and Heisman Trophy winner: Fernando Mendoza.

Granted, I don't watch too much of college football. Probably the only other time I've been invested, was when I was watching one Amari Cooper back in 2014, hoping the Raiders take him to pair with Derek Carr. That was probably the only time. With every loss this season, I keep hearing from Raiders content creators that the Raiders need to keep losing to be in position to take this QB from Indiana that will be a game changer in for this franchise.

So admittedly, I jumped on the Fernando Mendoza bandwagon. I watched highlights of Indiana's Big 10 championship match vs. Ohio State and fully watched the Playoff Bowl Games against Alabama and against Oregon, going head-to-head against another QB prospect in Dante Moore. And Raider Nation was divided between Mendoza and Moore. But after last night's game, it should be clear as day who the Raiders need to pick.

You don't need to go through Indiana's entire season because you can already tell from a small sample size that Fernando Mendoza needs to be the #1 pick. We all know he's talented and mobile and accurate. But he exhibits the intangible traits that every winning NFL QB has: leadership, toughness, an unselfish aura that'll make the other 52 players on an NFL team run through a brick wall for him. Sure his personality is a bit quirky, geeky, whatever you want to call it. But the tangible and intangible traits that Mendoza has is exactly what every NFL team wants out of a franchise QB. And as far as Raider Nation goes, with our fanbase being majorly Hispanic/Latino, this guy will potentially re-establish a fanbase that has lost its allure since moving to Vegas and being outnumbered and outgunned by opposing fans.

Regardless of what happens in the National Championship against the Miami Hurricanes, Mendoza should be a lock for that #1 pick. The Raiders tanking to take the #1 pick and trading down does not and will never compute. Even if they have holes to fill, which they do, you need to get your franchise quarterback! Because how long will they continue to patch up their QB situation before enough is enough? How many more hot Offensive Coordinators or OC's who are aspiring to be Head Coaches will pass up on the Raiders because they don't have a long-term answer at QB? All this talk on O-line this. O-line that. The Raiders have $100+M in cap space and six more rounds after the first to shore up their O-line! And whoever comes in to coach will hire a competent O-Line coach that'll have JPJ, D.J. Glaze play in their natural positions and take time to develop the absolute gems that are Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers. Oh, and Kolton Miller is still a decent, reliable Left Tackle. I think they'll be fine as long as "nepo-baby" Brennan Carroll is far away from this team with the Raiders firing his father.

So, Raiders, John Spytek, Tom Brady, Mark Davis, we are begging you. Please do not try to be the smartest people in the room. You need to complement your bonafide studs: Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, your high-ceiling receiving corps in Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Tre Tucker, and your O-line that'll be right again with competent coaching with a game-changing franchise QB. This Heisman-winning QB from Indiana is the true heir apparent to Derek Carr and Rich Gannon before him.

So when you're on the clock in April, the choice you make with the #1 pick is not a difficult decision to make.

There was something in the air that night.

The stars were bright.

Fernando...he's that guy.

The Trade Heard Around The World

 

I'm still in shock that this trade even happened.

Saying "Luka Doncic is a Laker" still feels like a joke. It's fake news. But it's not. 

The golden rule when it comes to following these NBA trade news is that if it hasn't been reported by Adrian Wojnarowski nor Shams Charania (more so the latter), it's not real. It a clickbait.

This trade still doesn't feel real that Shams had to confirm it not once, but multiple times on a late Saturday night that this was not a drill.

So here's the quick breakdown: the Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Utah Jazz engaged in a 3-team trade. Utah gets Jalen Hood-Schifino, one of the Clippers' 2nd round pick, and the Mavs' 2nd round pick. But the real meat behind this trade is the Lakers get Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris (welcome back BTW) in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first round pick.

That was it. That's all it took to get Luka.

Now as we're trying to get our minds settled in, let me make this perfectly clear in my opinion of this. This move is not a "win now" move. Let's be realistic here. When you look at the outlook of the roster this season, this was by no means a championship roster. Even though this team is surging and currently 5th in the West, I see this team at best getting bounced in the 1st round in the playoffs. And the biggest weakness the Lakers was that they had no other solid big man besides Anthony Davis. And now that AD is gone, the Lakers now have a big void to fill. This team is not going to win with Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko playing meaningful minutes. And even if and when Christian Wood creeps back into the rotation, they don't have a reliable big. Their literal frontcourt is a 40-year old LeBron, Rui, Vando, and Dorian Finney-Smith and Hayes and Koloko in that true Center spot. This team is going to get wrecked when they run into opponents that have an elite big like the Nuggets and Jokic. 

With AD no longer anchoring the paint and getting players into position defensively, the Lakers are gonna get exposed night in and night out. Luka is not a great defender. Austin Reaves not a great defender. LeBron? At this stage of his career? Not a great defender. Besides Vando and DFS who can guard positions 1-5, that is not enough to cover most of the Lakers' deficiencies. And you consider the fit too. LeBron and Luka are both ball dominant players. And one of them is going to have to sacrifice their game to get the Lakers to win basketball games. It's exciting that you have two high-IQ players that can score and pass the ball and rebound. But somebody has to cede responsibilities to make this pairing work.

That is the short-term outlook. The long-term outlook? As mentioned, LeBron is 40 and he can walk away from the NBA anytime soon. And the Lakers as a franchise needs to look at the future of this team. And they have two choices: 1) you can keep AD and build around him, but at best he's only got 2-3 more great years of basketball left before his body breaks down or 2) you can build around a 25-26 year old Luka Doncic. Weight problems aside, he's already a top 5 superstar and a MVP-caliber player and his best basketball is still yet to come.

It's simple, you choose the latter. You build around Luka freakin' Doncic! If he's available, you take it. No questions asked.

And this is what's mind boggling to me. Of all the teams to help the Lakers solve their bleak post-LeBron future, the Dallas Mavericks? This trade reminded me of the fact that Mark Cuban is no longer in charge of that franchise. He sold his majority stake. And this trade wouldn't fly with him if he was still in charge because he wants the Lakers to essentially suck forever and he'll die on that hill! But this team under the current ownership, just gifted their franchise cornerstone to the Lakers before he was able to reach the peak of his basketball career! Like we are not getting a true superstar who is washed like trades of yesteryear. We are getting a superstar that is close to his prime or at his prime already. Luka is already an offensive juggernaut, defensive deficiencies aside, weight aside. He can score from anywhere and he's an absolute magician with the ball in his hands. He's not the flashiest player nor is he super athletic, but he's incredibly crafty with the basketball. And I'm not gonna lie when I say this, but he was one of my favorite players to watch that's not on the Lakers until now. Every fantasy team I drafted, I was gunning for Luka if I was in position to draft him.

If you're a Mavs fan, I understand how confusing this is, how torn you must be because you're not used to this. This is like if they gave us Dirk Nowitzki to team up with Kobe Bryant in exchange for Pau Gasol and Shannon Brown. And the reason your team gave away Luka like that was they were "concerned" about his weight and conditioning. And they believe defense wins championships that's why they got AD. With all due respect, AD is a beast when healthy, a top two-way player in the league when healthy. And he'll finally have quality big men to play alongside with in Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford. But with this trade, it is absolutely essential for Dallas to win now or within the next 2-3 years. So this works for them in the short-term. However, it's gonna be too much to ask an old Kyrie, and old Klay, and a soon-to-be-old AD to carry this team to a deep playoff run because all their careers, they have shown that they can't carry a team on their back. These next 2-3 years are gonna define their legacies before their careers are all said and done.

If anything to take from this trade, the Lakers had to think critically about their future. They wasted so many opportunities in the LeBron-AD era. It's sad to think the only defining moment in that era was winning that 2020 bubble championship. And we wish the best of luck to Anthony Davis in Dallas. But this trade to get Luka Doncic, it gives the Lakers' future new life. That was the first step. The 2nd step, they have to build a contender around him in 2-3 years tops. This means find him another superstar whether it's via trade, free agency, or the unthinkable option: draft and develop one and surround him with quality role players who can shoot and defend. Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss, JJ Reddick, you were given a rare gift. Use it well.

With that said, thank you Anthony Davis, Max Christie (solid game against NYK last night BTW), and Jalen Hood-Schifino (I forgot you were still on the team). And welcome to the Lake Show, Luka Doncic! I'm excited to see "Luka Magic" bring "Showtime" back to the Lakers in the now and into the future.