Those who have read me for many years know I ripped and tore at Mitch Kupchak forever, for the stupid, silly moves he made that were in now keeping with reality or the best long term interests of this franchise.
So nobody was happier when he and Jim Buss were deposed and replaced by Jeanie, Magic and Pelinka. Now I wasn't happy because that particular triumvirate replaced the old guard, just happy that Mitch and Jim were finally gone. I had reservations about all three of the new directors of the Lakers fortunes.
So now the first power move has been made by our new brain trust and I have to say, I don't like it.
We are trading Russell and Mozgov for Brooks Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft.
I understand them desperately trying to unload Mozgov's contract. It is really handcuffing this team and will for years. But one also has to be realistic about the state of the NBA today and what is achievable and what is not.
The fact is, Golden State, with their players, their system, the age of their team and their salary cap situation, barring catastrophic injury, will be winning the NBA title for the next two years or more.
So what is the point of getting Brooks Lopez? And why trade such a young player as Russell who's best years are way ahead, you know, when Golden State is finally starting to fade from age or players leaving?
There is another consideration here. What becomes of Zubac? This is just a kid who really shined in his first year. He showed starting potential in all areas of the game and on both sides of the floor. Like Russell, his best years are far off, or in other words, will come just at the right time.
So now what? Is he relegated to the bench? Do the Lakers see moving him to forward? If so, that brings me to another topic I will address a bit later. Or do they trade him too? Man I would hate to see that happen because I think he can be a very smart, exciting, successful player who can be steady 16 and 10 man or even better.
Now here is something else to consider. I heard on the radio today a guy from ESPN who says his sources told him Magic wants to trade for Paul George. He said the reason why was Magic wants to make a splash and bring the buzz back to LA.
I would ask back, what kind of buzz? The buzz of winning 42 or so games with Lopez and George and the remaining kids then getting hammered out of the playoffs by Golden State or Houston or the Spurs?
That kind of buzz is bad, what you get when you smoke some really bad weed, not a buzz I want to partake in. That stuff gets old. Disorienting. Real fast.
And why would you trade for a player who has made it crystal clear that he wants to play for us after this year anyway. Why not wait and give up nothing?
But lets say for argument, George goes somewhere else, finds he likes it and decides not to ply his wares here after all. So what? Paul George is not the lynch pin we need to beat Golden State. We would three Paul Georges and someone better than him to even image beating that team.
But I suspect there is more to this first trade than meets the eye and here is why:
Despite the fact that Golden State won the title and will win more, the league still revolves around it's best player in a perverse sort of way and that of course is Lebron James.
Something interesting happened this week. Cleveland owner Gilbert fired Griffin as GM of the Cavaliers. The same Griffin Lebron wanted to keep as GM. And he hired Chauncey Billips, who has not been shy about criticizing Lebron's childish twitter ways in dealing with his teammates.
That seems like an early sign that Gilbert is saying, "I know and you know you are going to be leaving soon. So now I am going to run this team and put in the people I want, not who you want."
You know what happens when you spit in Lebron's face. He doesn't like it and tries to make you pay.
Seems like Gilbert is intentionally baiting the bull here.
I'm sure most of you have heard the stories in the last couple of weeks the King James seems to be casting his eyes out west, to Los Angeles in particular. Most likely with the Clippers populated by good friend CP3, Griffin and maybe even Carmelo. There, like Custer, he would make his final stand against the Warriors.
But what if Magic sees this chance to switch Lebron's port of call not by the arena in LA, but just the jersey. Now Brooks Lopez and the kids would not be enough to lure him here in hopes of beating the Warriors.
But what if we got George? And maybe some other really good role players? Then depending on how Ingram and Ball and the others look next year, Magic can make his pitch.
If Magic does do that trade that is in the wind, sending say Randle to Indiana for George, then you know he has Lebron in the back of his mind.
And let's say it all comes together and they got him. Would it be worth it?
I think not for lots of reasons.
What will certain Lakers fans do who hate Lebron so much because he overthrew Kobe as the best player in the game do? Renounce Lakers fandom till he's gone or root him on to surpass Kobe even more?
That's a joke by the way I just had to throw in. But also a very real problem for some Lakers fans.
First off, Lebron will be 34 by the time he comes to LA. Yes he is still amazing, still the best player in the league, as of this moment, but in two years things change. Especially in basketball where every incremental loss of speed and reflexes cuts like a knife. Do I really want to trade Russell and Randle, Zubac or perhaps Ingram (the Pacers won't give us George) to try get a team acceptable to a 34 year old James? No.
But here is where it gets worse. Lets say Magic and Pelinka have a this master plan to get James. Let's say it works out perfectly. So we end up with George, Lebron, Lopez and even a couple more really good veterans. Augmented of course by Ball and Ingram.
I ask myself, will that team beat Golden State? Maybe, but I don't think so. Golden State is only going to get better as Durant understands the system better and yes, they add some role players to solve weak spots. Because they will. That team doesn't stand still. And as hard as it is to swallow, Durant, Curry, Green and Thompson are just entering their athletic primes.
So here you go, trading Russell, Randle, Zubac perhaps, all in an effort to get a 34 year old player and maybe, just maybe lighting strikes and you can beat out Golden State once and get a ring.
And then what do you do when Lebron is 35 and 36 and Golden State is as good as ever?
So no matter how you slice it, I don't like it. I don't like this trade and I don't like the rumors that we are going to trade for George. I don't like losing Russell and I don't like the thought of losing Randle, or Zubac or Ingram for a 28 year old George.
And I don't like any possible master plan to get Lebron by mortgaging our future for a quick maybe title again. Remember, not very long ago, Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss had the same idea of bringing in stars to help Kobe win another ring. You know how that ended up. We are still paying that hard, unforgiving price.
I ripped at Mitch for years and Magic is my all time favorite Laker and NBA player. But I never play favorites or make judgements on emotion. I do not like this trade and I do not like the rumors I am hearing about a George trade.
Can't get Russell back now. He's gone even as he was playing his best ball at the end of last year. And if we trade Randle, Ingram or Zubac for more pipe dreams of Lebron and titles then man, in five years we will all be looking at each other and asking ourselves two questions:
What the hell happened to that young team we were building?
And how long will Jeanie, Magic and Pelinka stay in charge of screwing up this organization?
