TrueRaiderLaker Productions #11! - 2017-18 Lakers - "The Restoration Plan"

"You know MechG2994, your last hype video with the Raiders was pretty damn epic. I was so pumped up for the season to start when I saw that. Without a doubt, it's your best hype video ever."

"Hey, how about giving the Lakers a hype video like that too? It needs some epicness to it. I'm excited for basketball season to start."

Ask and you shall receive. With no further introduction I present to you TrueRaiderLaker Productions #11 - 2017-18 Lakers "The Restoration Plan!"

Description

The conversation above wasn't real, but it certainly left me to think. I'm coming off making an epic hype video about the Raiders, using an epic song by Hi Finesse. When I was pondering about a Lakers video, I at first thought about using some rap. But, that's not the way to follow up an epic hype video! And then it dawned me and asked myself, "hey, why not an encore with Hi Finesse?" 

My latest third Raiders hype video had a lot of storytelling involved. From the clinching the playoff spot to Carr's injury to prepping for a Super Bowl (which is looking bleak at the moment. I wanted to replicate the same storytelling element to the Lakers' incoming first season under the Magic-Pelinka regime.

The last five years under Jim Buss were tough for us Laker fans. There was no long-term contingency plan when Kobe decided to hang it up. After Kobe retired, it was the opportune time for Jim and Mitch Kupchak to build for the future. They did right by hiring Luke Walton and drafting Brandon Ingram in last year's draft. But signing Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov to mega contracts signaled the demise of the Jim Buss-Mitch Kupchak era. In comes Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to right the wrongs. They tell us there's a plan in place and they're making moves to restore the Lakers to greatness. They're starting off on the right foot trading for Brook Lopez, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a reasonable contract, and drafting Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. Ball and Kuzma carried the Lakers to a Summer League championship and they will look to build up that confidence in the regular season along with Ingram, Clarkson, Randle, Nance, KCP, and Lopez,. Whether Magic and Pelinka's plan succeeds or fails remains in question. One thing's for certain, they are unified with a common long-term plan to return the Lakers to its former glory. That plan starts on Thursday Night vs. the Clippers. This video is a visual presentation of a restoration plan in motion. Enjoy this 2 minute fury Laker Nation.

Thumbnail

Official thumbnail of the video featuring a landscape view of L.A. and Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram all drenched in Purple and Gold. ("But, where's Kyle Kuzma?") 

2016-17 Los Angeles Lakers Preview: The New Era

Time for some purple and gold seasoning again on this blog. Welcome in to the regular season preview post for the Lakers' 2016-17 regular season campaign. Like I do with the regular season preview post for the Raiders, I divide some potential headlines into sections, discuss the schedule, and provide my prediction. Always keep in mind, this is opinionated and I'll provide my take on all of them.

It's D'Angelo's Team

Before I type anything down, let me ask this question: how many of you are still calling D'Angelo Russell a snitch? Because I don't. I've completely moved on from that and I'm sure he and Nick Young have gotten over that stuff too. Now back on topic. For two decades, we Laker fans have grown accustomed to Kobe Bryant donning the purple and gold. It's like whenever you think of the Lakers, you think of Kobe Bryant and it just resonates easily. Now, he's gone after a brilliant farewell game last season, dropping 60 against the Utah Jazz. We now have to try and resonate the Lakers with D'Angelo Russell. In most of Luke Walton's interviews, he has implied that this team is going to revolve around D'Lo. After all, point guards are the "quarterback" of a basketball franchise, so it makes total sense to hand over the reins to Russell. We have to realize that it's going to take a lot of growing pains for D'Lo to develop into the star we expect him to be. Obviously, he was held up by Byron Scott and Kobe's goodbye tour retirement in his rookie year and now, Luke Walton is giving him the freedom in this free flow, motion offense he brought over from Golden State. Looking at his stats this preseason, the turnovers and the points-to-assists disparity stand out. Keep in mind, I only saw the October 4 game vs. the Kings and Wednesday's preseason game vs. the Warriors. Obviously, D'Lo has to clean up the turnovers and have a balance to score and facilitate. His only best all-around game this preseason was against the Kings on October 13 where he posted up 31 points, 11 assists, and committed just 2 turnovers. Unequivocally, his defense has to improve because Westbrook, Lillard, Paul, and Curry will give him all kinds of fits. What I'm saying is that D'Lo, even in his sophomore year, will go through his ups and downs. He has control of the offense and he's going to make some mistakes. He has a lot to prove to us, but speaking as a true Lakers fan, I will back D'Lo 100%. Yes, it's a little early and he'll have games where he'll drive us nuts. The same thing was said for Kobe, but hey we still had his back. Whether we accept it or not, D'Angelo Russell is now the face of the Lakers franchise and this is the season is the opportunity for D'Lo to put his stamp on the bright lights of L.A.

Brandon Ingram's Development

For the 2nd straight year with the #2 pick, the Lakers select Brandon Ingram out of Duke. Many are calling him the next Kevin Durant because of his length, wingspan, and ability to shoot. Ingram was an obvious pick for the Lakers after the 76ers took Ben Simmons. Luke Walton is going to play it safe and make Ingram off the bench. With the Lakers signing Luol Deng in free agency, I think it is a wise decision on Luke's part to have Ingram learn from a player like Deng. I've seen Ingram in the Summer League and in early preseason action and like Russell last year, there will be growing pains with Ingram. We have to understand, these kids are coming out of just their freshman year in college and it takes a couple of years till they reach that All-Star ceiling. Although in Wednesday's game against Golden State, Ingram flashed his potential and it looks like he's getting more comfortable playing with the team. And for those judging on his skinny appearance, it's about Brandon Ingram being bigger. It's about him being stronger and able to handle small forwards like Durant, LeBron, etc. Ingram's development is going to be something to look at as the season progresses. If he develops faster than expected, I wouldn't be surprised if he snatches the starting small forward position away from Deng by midseason.

What about Randle, Clarkson, and Nance? Zubac?

With this whole talk to Lakers season centering on D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram, it seems like everybody forgets about Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. The Lakers brought back Jordan Clarkson this offseason and locked him to a $50 million contract for four more years. It's a good move on the Lakers part to retain this young core and see how they grow. Clarkson has worked his tail off to get where he's at. It's pretty interesting that Walton is going to have Clarkson come off the bench. Perhaps to provide scoring once D'Lo subs out. Nance has proven to be a high-IQ sparkplug coming off the bench. He has to compete in the dunk contest like his dad before him. Julius Randle and Ivica Zubac are going to be two players I will be monitoring closely. I've heard Randle is developing a mid-range and 3-point game. We've been highly critical of Randle with the way he plays out of control, especially when he takes the ball coast to coast, resulting in a turnover or wild shot. But, last season was technically his rookie season and he's shown he can put up double-doubles night in and night out. The ceiling is high for Randle and I hope he gives us more patience as he continues to develop.

Ivica Zubac... When the Lakers took him in the 2nd round, I've heard that many teams were eyeing this guy from Croatia as late first-round prospect. I wasn't too hype on Zubac, but he did fill a need at center. However, when I saw him in Summer League, he flashed some potential. The kid has it all: rim protection, low post game, a midrange jump shot. I haven't looked too much into how he translated in the preseason, but I hope he flashed some impressions. He's quickly becoming a fan favorite in L.A. People are chanting "ZUUUUUUUU" and nicknaming him "Zublocka." I see a lot of Marc Gasol potential in him. Granted, he's going to compete for playing time with Mozgov starting and Tarik Black being the primary backup center. It'll be interesting to see how Luke Walton handles the situation because he has two players that could shine if given some minutes playing behind Mozgov.

The Overpaid Veterans

During this offseason, the Lakers signed some quality veterans in Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng. But, they signed Mozgov to a...wait for it...$64 million deal and they signed Deng to a...wait for it...$72 million deal. Still to this day, those kinds contracts have bamboozled the casual basketball fan who knows nothing about the business side of the sport. We have to remember a couple of things or rather one thing, the NBA's salary cap jumped due to the TV revenue. Hence, every NBA team overpaid a lot for some free agents and signed some of their own free agents to ridiculous contracts in order to keep them (ex: Grizzlies re-signing Mike Conley to a $153 million MAX contract, ridiculous). I said it back in my free agency outlook post, top-tier players would rather play for a contending team rather than a rebuilding team. The Lakers are no exception to this rule of thumb. These veterans are brought in to show the younger players the ropes. Mozgov is an NBA champion. Honestly, even though he didn't play at all this year, we forget he had decent games in the 2015 Finals. Deng is a former All-Star and a class act, which is beneficial for the team. I didn't see how Deng played this preseason, but I saw a lot of Mozgov on Wednesday's game vs. Golden State and I thought he looked good. He had a couple of good blocks, particularly on that alley-oop attempt from Durant that set up a Nick Young three. He's looking way better than Hibbert last season.

Schedule Breakdown

There is one particular highlight about this schedule this season for the Lakers: they face the Warriors three times in November. Two home games, one road game. What a way to gauge a team's growth by having them face arguably the best team in the NBA three times in a month. Overall, as expected it is going to be a difficult schedule to start for the Lakers. They open up at home against the Rockets, although the Rockets are vulnerable with Dwight Howard gone and Mike D'Antoni coaching the team. Then, they go on a 4-game road trip before returning home against Golden State. Obviously, the Western conference is a very tough conference that the Lakers play in. There's proven teams like the Warriors and Spurs. Grizzlies and Clippers are going to be tough with all their players healthy. Westbrook is due for a big season in OKC. The Timberwolves are a team on the rise with their young talent. The Lakers are going to have their hands full once more.

Conclusion

I say we're going to go all the way and win the championship. Okay, I'm going to put down the Kool Aid. Overall, I'm more concentrated on how this team develops over the season than them pushing for a possible 8th seed in the playoffs. Like I said, the West is loaded and it's going to take awhile for the Lakers to climb back to the upper echelon of teams like the glory days. I'm going to be happy if the Lakers reach around the tier of 25-30 wins this season. It would mark improvement over last year's woeful season. But, like I said, it's a matter of this young team gelling and growing together and buying into what Luke Walton is bringing into this team. No more of Byron Scott's dictatorship. No more of the purple and gold universe centering around Kobe Bryant. I know, as a Laker fan, it is going to be weird watching the Lakers without a #24 sighting on the floor this season. But, I'm really looking forward to D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle usher in a new era of Lakers basketball under Luke Walton. The future is here. GO LAKERS!


*Due to the new changes I made on the blog with Raider games, Laker games televised on ESPN, TNT, or ABC are also going to be open thread discussions separated into the 1st half and 2nd half posts. Every other game that's not nationally televised will be quick recapped. I'll see you guys Wednesday night vs. the Houston Rockets.*

TrueRaiderLaker Productions Entry #7 - 2016-17 Lakers - The Successors + Wallpaper (And Summer League Thoughts)

It's been a while Laker Nation. 2012, I made my first Laker hype video on my YouTube channel with 2Pac's "To Live and Die in LA" playing in the background as they formed a super team consisting of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, and a Center whose name shall never be mentioned in the Laker books ever again. A year later, I followed up with a motivational vignette titled "Kobe Bryant - The Heart is Still Beating" in the wake of Kobe's return from the achilles injury. Now, I am back to help usher in a new era of Lakers basketball, three years in the making. I present to you the first Laker video in the TrueRaiderLaker Productions era: "The Successors!"

Description

A new chapter in Lakers history is about to unfold. We are moving away from 20 years of Kobe Bryant to Year 1 of the Russell-Clarkson-Ingram-Randle-Nance, Jr. era. It's going to be a rough and weird transition as we grew accustomed to either a #8 or a #24 with the last name "Bryant" on the basketball court. But, this is a fresh start and the core that is assembled by Mitch Kupchak is still relatively young. Last season and in the Summer League (which I'll provide my thoughts a little later), the young core showed some promise at times, but other times, there are holes in their game that we can easily pinpoint that they need to work on and polish more. There's a lot of potential that is untapped with this young group. Hopefully, the leadership under Luke Walton and the coaching staff and the veteran leadership of Mozgov and Deng will help the young core grow faster than normal. 

For this video, I wanted to focus on the Lakers' young core of the future. Russell, Clarkson, Ingram, Randle, and Nance, Jr. each had highlights that provided some optimism. In addition, I wanted to make references to the Lakers' history. The history of the Lakers is rich and glorious from Magic and Showtime to Shaq to Kobe as they helped deliver a grand total of 10 NBA championships to the city of Los Angeles in their respective eras in addition to the first championship won in LA in 1972 when the Lakers posted the then best record of 69-13. I wanted to express that these players that the Lakers have now are the next in line, the new generation. They represent the next chapter in Lakers history. They are going to get some backlash because they are not as great as their predecessors yet. But if they continue to put in the work and give their heart out for the love and the appreciation of the game and this great franchise night in and night out, they can be great and one day, they will lead the purple and gold to a 17th banner.

Wallpaper/Thumbnail

1280 x 720 (Standard)

1366 x 768

1920 x 1080

Like my Kobe Bryant "Thank You" wallpaper, the promotional wallpaper for my video in three alternate sizes. From left to right, the wallpaper includes Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Jr. The Staples Center is behind them with the bright purple lights shining on them. The black silhouette is the view of the Greater Los Angeles area from afar. Select your size, right click and save, set it as your desktop background, and enjoy the video.

Summer League

For those of you who are wondering, yes I'm kept track of the Lakers' Summer League play. I think the opener vs. New Orleans and the 3rd game vs. Golden State were impressive. Ivica Zubac has thoroughly impressed me with his offensive and defensive abilities and showing his worth as a 2nd round steal. Zach Auguste and Xavier Munford impressed me and I predict that they'll be on the training camp roster at best. Brandon Ingram looked good early on, but struggled with his shot and that's what Summer League is about. Remember, Russell struggled in his rookie year playing SL basketball and Ingram is going through the growing pains. Speaking of Russell he looked good, but the turnovers and defense still need work. The Philadelphia game and last night's loss vs. Cleveland showed (which I missed) showed that there's still long ways to go for the young core in terms of growth and development. Of course, I heard about Nance's fractured hand last night and I wish him a speedy recovery. You don't want a key cog of your future go down like that, especially in SL when it is supposed to be a series of exhibition games for young players to showcase their talent and refine their game. But overall, I would say I liked what I've seen from SL action, but I wouldn't argue that there's still room for improvement. 

Lakers 2016 Free Agency Outlook: A Methodical Approach

Alright Laker Nation, welcome in to the 1st ever free agency outlook on this blog. I've done this kind of post three times in the past, covering the Raiders and the NFL free agency period. I figured a Lakers and NBA free agency outlook is overdue here and I got a hand of keeping track of the negotiation periods and the start of free agency. 

In contrast to my three previous "Outlook" posts, this will be my most methodical post of any posts before a free agency period starts. Let's face it, we keep buying into the hype that a "superstar" player on the unrestricted free agency list will be in a Laker uniform. And year after year, we come up empty and we have to settle for "leftover" free agents since quality free agents already passed by and sign with teams while the Lakers wait out on a superstar's decision. In my Season in Review post for the 2015-16 season, I voiced out that the Lakers should not wait out on a star player's decision and go after quality players and veterans that could help the young core develop and grow.

Trade D'Lo for Cousins?

The problem that persisted over time with the Lakers and their failure to attract top-tier free agents is that they're clinging onto the past. Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak pitch in to the idea that because the Lakers have a rich history with 16 championships and because it's L.A./Hollywood, the top-tier free agents should sign with them. That's not going to fly. Nowadays, star players to teams are more about "what can you do for me now" not "what have you done in the past." And players want to go to teams that are in position to contend for a title now. So, it's time to stop thinking an established NBA superstar is going to come to the Lakers. Kevin Durant is not coming and the Lakers' FO shouldn't even dare to attempt to trade D'Angelo Russell for DeMarcus Cousins.

Okay, they want to build a contender while developing the young core of Russell, Randle, Clarkson, and Ingram. But, trying to do both is impossible. In hindsight, the Lakers have to be realistic in their free agency approach and build around their young core that possesses promising potential under new head coach Luke Walton. With the NBA setting the salary cap at $94 million for the incoming 2016-17 NBA Season, the Lakers sit atop with the most cap space out of all 30 teams with $60+ million to spend in the free agency period.

Obviously, the Lakers need help in every position in this offseason. I've listed out what I believe are the Lakers' priorities heading into the free agency period: 1) Starting-caliber Center 2) Backup Veteran Small Forward 3) Backup Veteran Guard.

Whiteside to the West Side?

Since the departure of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, the Lakers have lacked a true rim protector at the Center position. One of the most talked-about free agents at the Center position that the Lakers have been linked to is Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat. Whiteside revitalized his NBA career with the Heat and worked his way up to All-Defensive 2nd team honors and being the NBA's leader in blocks for the 2015-16 season. Whiteside can bring an immediate defensive presence in the paint for the Lakers. 

Of course Whiteside is not the "be all end all" option. There are several backup options that the Lakers have available, particularly Al Horford, Bismack Biyombo, Ian Mahinmi, and Joakim Noah. Horford may not provide the inside presence that Whiteside has, but he makes up for the ability to stretch the floor because of his 3-point shot. Joakim Noah could have a similar role to what Andrew Bogut has with the Warriors given that Luke Walton wants to bring over elements of the Warriors' brand of basketball except with more versatility, hustle, and athleticism. 

How about luring Jeff Green to the purple and gold side of the Staples Center Hallway?

We are excited about what Brandon Ingram can bring to the table at the Small Forward ("3") position for the Lakers. The problem is he doesn't have much help to back him up at the 3 position. If you think Nick Young is capable to back up Ingram? I beg to differ. Given the tension between Young and Russell in a phone recording incident and that D'Angelo is too valuable of a piece of the future to trade, it should be a no brainer that Nick Young has to go and I'll discuss a trade scenario that involves Nick Young shortly. 

Furthermore, this discussion will subtract Kevin Durant and LeBron James off the equation since they are the top-tier FAs at the 3. The players that are on the Lakers' radar for the 3 spot are Harrison Barnes and Nicolas Batum. Even though Walton is familiar with Barnes during his tenure with Golden State, Barnes' woeful shooting in this years' finals will likely serve as precaution to not give him a max deal. Batum has a couple more years left in him as a starter. If the plan is to have Ingram come off the bench, then it's understandable for the Lakers to go after either of them, preferably Batum.

However, if the plan is to immediately insert Ingram into the starting lineup at the 3 position, I threw out a wild card unrestricted free agent into the mix on who the Lakers could get to back up Ingram. Enter Jeff Green. Albeit inconsistent, Green can be the all-around player who can come off the bench for the Lakers in terms of providing scoring, rebounding, and defense. He'll give the Lakers more versatility, given he can play both the small forward (3) and power forward (4) spot. 

Nick Young to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Jarrett Jack? Hmmm...

We now move onto a trade scenario that I made up that involves shipping Nick Young out of LA using ESPN's NBA Trade Machine. A possible trade that I came up with involves the Brooklyn Nets as a possible trade partner. The Nets are shopping around Jack before Thursday and if they couldn't find a trade partner, they'll most likely waive his contract. The benefits of acquiring Jack is that the Lakers are going to get a proven backup point guard. Jack has bounced around the league, backing up the likes of Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving. He'd be the perfect complement backing up D'Angelo Russell in terms of scoring and playmaking ability and he will provide veteran leadership that the Lakers desperately need. However, there is a risk in acquiring Jack. He's coming off from an ACL injury and he's getting older, turning 33 years old at the start of the season.

The Lakers can choose to be risk-averse and not trade for an older player (although, I still prefer if Nick Young is traded to another team). There are other, younger options for a backup guard in the open market. D.J. Augustin and Norris Cole are my personal preferences for the Lakers to sign in free agency to fill a backup guard spot. Augustin can provide scoring and playmaking off the bench. Cole can also provide some decent scoring and provide some much-needed defense on the perimeter. And considering that the Lakers are in a conference facing the likes Paul, Curry, Westbrook, and Lillard, they could use Cole's services on the defensive end. 

Other Thoughts/Re-Sign Priorities

"Mo Buckets" in the Purple and Gold?

Considering Luke Walton has ties to the Warriors and wants to install elements of Warriors' basketball, players like Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli have been rumored to follow Luke to LA. Barnes is considered provided that the Lakers have explored every option at the 3 position and I would like them to shelve aspirations of adding Ezeli as an emergency option. However, if there's one player I would want the Lakers to pry away from the Warriors, it'd have to be Marreese Speights aka "Mo Buckets." Speights would provide a "stretch 5 (Center)." His addition will allow the Lakers and Walton to exploit some mismatches offensively.

Jordan Clarkson is a MUST re-sign.

In terms of re-signing players from last season's roster, Jordan Clarkson has got to be the "no brainer" for the Lakers to re-sign. Through two seasons, Clarkson has proved that the Lakers made a 2nd round steal by trading for him after he was drafted by the Washington Wizards. He may not be All-Star material, but he's an integral piece to the Lakers' renaissance post-Kobe era along with Russell, Ingram, and Randle. The priority to re-sign Clarkson should be sky high for the Lakers. Another possible free agent that the Lakers should consider re-signing is Tarik Black. Even though Black is still raw, there's no question he brings hustle and energy to the Lakers and he could show significant development by playing under Luke Walton. Obviously, Black is a better option as a backup Center than Robert Sacre.

Roster Projection/Conclusion

After making my case on how the Lakers should approach free agency and how they should address their roster needs, this is how I'm projecting what their starting lineup and rotation would look like:

PG: Russell/Jack (or Augustin or Cole)/Clarkson/Williams 

SG: Clarkson/Williams/Russell/Brown

SF: Ingram/Green (or Batum)/Brown

PF: Randle/Nance, Jr./Speights?/Green/Black

C: Whiteside (or Horford or Noah or Biyombo or Mahinmi)/Black/Speights?/Zubac

Versatility, a good mixture of youth and experience with quality veteran players surrounding our young, promising core is what I'm seeing with how this roster looks on paper. This Laker team may not be a championship-level team with this roster, but if the young core makes significant progress and players gel faster than expected, they could make a surprise playoff push down the stretch as a 6th-8th seed in the West. 

July should usher in a new chapter in Lakers history. As usual like what I did with my "Raiders Offseason Activity Posts," I will constantly update a single post on the Lakers' offseason transactions and give my reaction. Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss, it's time to set a realistic path and field together a competitive roster with quality players surrounding the young core of the future. No more wasting time on waiting for a superstar's decision. No more. I'll see you guys later.

2016 NBA Free Agents