Lakers Deal Clarkson, Nance on Trade Deadline

Obviously, I'm at work right now, but I'm taking my lunch break, which leaves me room to talk about this trade the Lakers made at the deadline. So, the Lakers send Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye. The original package was for IT, Frye, and a protected 1st round pick the Cavs got from the Nets. But, because the pick is protected, they can't trade it until the draft, so that left the Lakers with just IT and Frye. This trade is made for obvious reasons that Magic and Rob Pelinka are going all in for the 2018 and 2019 free agent class. Lakers wanted to unload Deng's $72 million contract, but they couldn't get any takers unless they were willing to unload Ingram or Kuzma. So, they gotta get rid of 2nd biggest contract, which happened to be Clarkson's $50 million contract. By unloading Clarkson's contract and taking the two expiring contracts of IT and Frye (they'll be free agents next year), the Lakers are gonna have a big amount of cap room to max out at least two top-tier free agents. That's essentially what this trade is about. And we knew that Magic and Rob will make a trade eventually this season. Obviously, Clarkson's scoring and Nance's hustle off the bench will be irreplaceable. That'll put a lot of load on Kuzma to carry the 2nd unit. So even though IT and Frye are stop-gap players, what do they bring to the table? Before the hip injury, IT has shown that he can score at will and he has a lot of heart. He lead the Celtics to the #1 seed last season and he was even in the conversation for MVP. The Cavs are calling a "Hail Mary" to get back to the finals and they can't wait for IT to be 100%. It's completely contingent to where he's at now health-wise, but the Lakers needed a quality backup point guard and Thomas provides that when healthy. For Frye, I don't see him getting too much playing time, but he provides another veteran presence on this roster along with Lopez, KCP, and Brewer. Both of them do actually. Like I said, this trade is a means for the Lakers to clear up cap space for the next two offseasons to get two top-tier free agents on max deals. It's just a matter if the chips can fall into the Lakers' favor this time around. The biggest difference is that they finally have a core to build around with Zo, Ingram, and Kuzma and will certainly entice free agents to join the team. But, for a short time welcome to LA, IT and Frye!

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?") 

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

Lakers 2015 Draft Post-Recap

And the 2015 NBA draft is officially in the books. Welcome in to a brief post recap of the Lakers' 2015 NBA draft. Usually, I'd just post as the draft rolls on, but sometimes it's good to try a little something new. So the Lakers didn't make any crazy trade. They kept all their picks and drafted the best player on their board. Let's take a look at the draft picks and I'll give a final word.

Round 1 Pick 2: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State, PG

Highlights:

*Highlights/Tape courtesy of DraftExpress*

Comment: There was a house divided on whether the Lakers should use the number 2 overall pick to select Jahlil Okafor or this kid in D'Angelo Russell. Personally, I was on board with taking Okafor as I feel that the Lakers needed a big man, but understandably so, the NBA is a guard-driven league and the Lakers have to see the likes of Curry, Paul, Westbrook, Lillard, in the West. So why not go with the flow as well? What I see from Russell is that the guy can flat out score and facilitate. He can play on the ball and off of it. What stood out to me about Russell is his pick and roll play as he's able to split the opposing defense with ease and make a quick decision whether to score or to pass as well as his transition game to stop and pop a shot or find a guy in transition. Based on the video above, he's excels more in the transition game.  The Lakers already invested in Clarkson and they like his potential, but it's clear that he's not designated to be the star point guard of the future, but he's still a viable piece. With Kobe Bryant's career coming to an end, Russell and Clarkson could be the back court for years to come. It's going to be interesting to see the pick and roll game with him and Julius Randle given that Randle's best attribute is finishing at the rim. Also with this pick, the Lakers seem confident that they will land a star big man through the free agency. Overall, it wasn't a bad pick. Seeing D'Angelo Russell for me was last minute since I was contempt on Okafor. You can't go wrong with either, but the majority says Russell was the better prospect of the two so I will roll with it.

Round 1 Pick 27: Larry Nance, Jr. Wyoming, PF

Highlights:

*Highlights courtesy of North Dallas*

Comment: The son of Larry Nance Sr., the player who gave Dr. J a run for his money in the first ever dunk contest. He can dunk just like his dad too! At this point of the first round, all the major talent is taken and teams are just looking for value picks and the Lakers believed they uncovered a gem in Larry Nance, Jr. Usually, players coming from bloodlines of NBA legends don't work out too well, but Nance, Jr. fills a need for a big man that can fight for easy baskets and defend. Reading his page, he was regarded as the best big man in the Mountain West Conference and has the accolades to back up his defensively being DPOY and being All-Defensive Team in the conference. Not only can he score inside, but he has a decent range from the outside. The one knock is that many analysts projected him to be a late 2nd round pick and this pick was considered a reach by some, but he has impressed in his workouts to raise his draft stock. In my opinion, he's likely going to be a bench player to spare Randle. He was taken on the fly considering the front court of the Lakers is at a huge uncertainty right now.

Round 2 Pick 34: Anthony Brown, Stanford, SF

Highlights:

*Highlights courtesy of Draft Express*

Comment: I've looked at some full mock drafts for the Lakers and I've seen this Anthony Brown fella go to the Lakers with their 27th pick. For him to still be on the board for the Lakers at 34th overall in the 2nd round is considered a steal. As noted in the video above, this guy can shoot. He shot a career 41% from beyond the arc during his tenure in Stanford. The Lakers got a player who can space the floor so when D'Angelo Russell splits the defense, that leaves Brown open for a high percentage shot from long range. He also has defensive upside given his size and his wing span. If he continues to develop defensively, he'll prove to be a disruption for guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Carmelo Anthony, most of the best SFs in the league right now. That is a big "if." If he pans out, that's the 2nd year in a row the Lakers struck gold in the 2nd round.

Conclusion

It wasn't a draft that most Laker fans including myself weren't expecting, but you can't go wrong with this surprise plan B that Mitch Kupchak has created.At this point, the Lakers gotta have some core pieces in there so that they have a life after the Kobe Bryant era. They addressed that by drafting D'Angelo Russell. Would've it been nice to draft Jahlil Okafor? It would, but history shows that the Lakers have more success when they acquire an established big man through a trade or free agency. If free agency goes the way it is planned with the route the Lakers took in this draft, the sky is the limit for the rebuilding process. I'll see you guys later.