The rumor has been at stake for weeks that the Lakers would trade their first selection in the 2016 NBA Draft. The idea seemed reasonable until they got the second selection for the second year in a row. Now the situation has become very, very interesting.
For a team that has apparently worked without a road map, roaming the NBA season the way a Roomba hits and hits through a living room, the team may have been lucky in its reconstruction plan .
With D'Angelo Russell, Larry Nance, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson in the center, the Lakers are looking at the possibility of fitting perfectly into the banned top picks of the next draft: Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons. While the franchise needs to win now, Kobe Bryant's stardom showed that the team can still get ratings even in a depressing season. While Kobe was 20 years old to build a farewell tour, the Lakers highlighted Bryant from the day he was drafted. It was already the talk of the city when Shaq joined at his best. By promoting their exciting play style, their good looks and the opportunity to join the conversation before, the Lakers set up the perfect Showtime Redux that took them through a two-decade roller coaster.
Instead of begging an All-Star to listen to the united forces, the team has a marketable team in hand, with which they can accumulate $ 60 million in their maximum space. It is not necessary to throw money at the aging stars and they will not push the total of victories or occupy the seats when they can ride the thoroughbreds that are currently in their stable.
After its disastrous 2015-16 season, patience may sound crazy, but smart money will understand. In the last three years, the reconstruction of the franchises has not made any sense. The coaches entered through a revolving door: Mike Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Byron Scott. The lists were assembled with adhesive tape, designed not to adapt to any particular style of game or mentality. The team was neither hard nor defensive, fast and with a high score, not even mediocre. Just a group of 19-year-old players and random role players were paired with a 37-year-old retired superstar who came out of devastating injuries.
In a minute, the team would execute Princeton's college crime, the next they tried desperately to increase the pace and so on. However, the team showed signs of life when coach Scott opened to play with his rookies in a more fluid offense and screen. The impacts were immediate and convincing, including a victory over the 73-9 Warriors and a small number of games in which Russell scored more than 30 points, while Randle became a double-double machine. This is not to forget Larry Nance, who has featured one outstanding reel per game.
The possibility of commercialization is at stake: the Lakers '17 are young, hungry and ready to run. Enter Showtime III. With the new head coach, Luke Walton, the Lakers are designed for the style of fun and weaponry (without the defense) that Walton has already used successfully with his current team. In an imitation league, the plan and infrastructure are certainly in place. Now the Lakers can slowly build a winning culture, while the Central Office can market their coming of age story. Fans will witness Genesis.
The icing on the cake is the next draft. Both Simmons and Ingram will be available for the second selection, and both players will fit in their unique way. Simmons offers a Lebron-esque type of Point Forward. His shot must develop, but his ability to handle the ball, bounce and distribute is on the next level. While it may seem redundant with Randle's skill set, there is enough time to evaluate any position problems in the next season and make the appropriate moves on the list when the best opportunity arises. The Lakers will have powerful assets.
Meanwhile, Ingram offers an instant fit in the mold of Kevin Durant, a superstar the Lakers already covet. However, where many stars on the Lakers' wish list (Hereford, Durant) hover over the maximum age of 30, the Lakers offer an unmatched young core that is barely old enough to drink. There should be no desperation to reach an agreement when the Lakers are locked in with a growing talent that will sell tickets for a decade.
It's also worth mentioning that the Lakers have had exceptional young talents in the past. Marc Gasol, the Defensive Player of the Year 2013, was the second round of the Lakers (selection number 48) in 2007. He was released during the box office success of his brother Pau Gasol. Marc was already a proven talent abroad and it would have been a great adjustment with his brother, if patience had prevailed. Imagine the power to market "Gasol x 2" in a global market.
Then there's the Miami Heat center, Hassan Whiteside, who was in favor of joining the Lakers when it was tested in 2014. In another example of lack of judgment, the team rejected their services only to have it on their radar for a maximum contract this out of season They had a similar story with Kent Bazemore, whom they picked up to buy peanuts just to let their services get nothing in return. Bazemore is now a highly productive member of the Atlanta Hawks.
There is no need to repeat past mistakes when the team has a coach, a shot and a valuable draft selection ready to shoot. Instead of betting, the team can change its guaranteed position while continuing to make a splash, filling seats and building long-term. His "Super Team" experiment of 2013 should have already taught them the traps of night turns.
Here and now, the Lakers should stay the course and create a base around their group of fast and dazzling prodigies. Showtime III has arrived, although very early.
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