With
Thanksgiving here for the Los Angeles Lakers, here are three things from this
past offseason that the team and fans should be thankful for.
As the holiday
season approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers
are one of the best teams in basketball so far. With one of the top records in
the league, the Lakers look to be a true title contender this season.
Considering they have missed the playoffs the last six seasons, this season has
been quite refreshing.
Compared to
last year, the Lakers are in a much better position to have success. While the
Lakers did have LeBron James last season, their depth and other star power
or lack thereof wasn’t enough to carry the team when injuries hit.
Luckily, James
looks very healthy and motivated this season. James is playing at an MVP level,
and he is certainly a big reason why the Lakers are having success. However, in
addition to LeBron, the Lakers had a great offseason this past summer.
While the
Lakers might have fell short of their ultimate goal of landing two superstars
to play with LeBron this season, they still had a great offseason, and a solid
backup plan after Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Considering how
messy things looked in the front office at the end of last season and even to
start the summer, the Lakers did a great job putting together a strong roster.
With
Thanksgiving time here, these are three moves from the offseason that the
Lakers and their fans should be thankful for.
Dwight Howard signing
One of the moves that the Lakers made after missing out on Kawhi Leonard was the signing of DeMarcus Cousins. Despite being injured the
last few seasons, it appeared like Cousins was finally healthy and ready to
have a bounce-back season.
However, in a summer workout, Cousins tore his ACL, leaving
the Lakers in a tough spot to try and find a replacement. Since most free
agents had already signed, the options left for the Lakers at the center
position weren’t ideal.
Luckily, the Lakers fell on to Dwight Howard. Considering
Howard’s poor history with the Lakers and his reputation around the league in
recent years, many were skeptical about the signing.
While these were legitimate concerns, Howard has been great
for the Lakers and doing all of the right things. Howard is coming off the
bench and being a very effective player for the Lakers. Arguably, he has
out-performed the start for the Lakers in JaVale McGee.
Howard has been effective on both ends of the court, as he
is averaging over one block per game. Even though he isn’t the superstar that
he was the first time around with the Lakers, he has been a very valuable asset
off the bench.
Frank Vogel becoming head coach
After parting ways shortly after last season with then head
coach Luke Walton, there was a lot of speculation
about who would be the next head coach of the Lakers. During the initial
interview process, it looked like the Lakers would be hiring Ty Lue to be the
next head coach of the team.
Considering Lue was a the head coach for LeBron in
Cleveland and won a title together, Lue appeared like he was going to be the
guy for the Lakers. However, despite it looking like nearly a done deal, the
Lakers and Lue were never really close on a contract.
This looked like another failure for the Lakers’ front
office, but they then decided to move forward with Frank Vogel instead. Vogel
had a lot of success with Paul George and the Indiana Pacers, as he was
no stranger to playing LeBron and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.
Those Pacers teams were some of the best in the league on the defensive end,
and he has brought that mentality to Los Angeles.
The Lakers have been one of the best defensive teams in the
league so far, as Vogel’s message has certainly been heard by his players.
Anthony Davis trade
Easily the thing that the Lakers should be most thankful
for from last offseason was the decision to make a trade for Anthony Davis.
Last season, the Lakers aggressively tried to acquire Davis, but no deal was
completed during the season.
If the Lakers did trade for Davis during the season, things
might have been much different for the Lakers. With the front offices changing
a bit for both the Lakers and Pelicans last summer, the two sides were able to
get a deal done.
The price to acquire Davis was not cheap, as the Lakers had
to part with nearly their entire young core and multiple draft picks. However,
it is looking like it is worth it so far. The pairing of Davis and LeBron has
created one of the best duos in the NBA, and the two are meshing well.
Davis has been a force on both the offensive and defensive
ends of the court. So far, Davis is looking like he could be in the
conversation for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Even though it
might have hurt to see young players like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart go, this trade looks like it was the
right move for the Lakers. Furthermore, the Lakers and fans should be very
thankful for the Davis trade.
With
Thanksgiving here for the Los Angeles Lakers, here are three things from this
past offseason that the team and fans should be thankful for.
As the holiday
season approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers
are one of the best teams in basketball so far. With one of the top records in
the league, the Lakers look to be a true title contender this season.
Considering they have missed the playoffs the last six seasons, this season has
been quite refreshing.
Compared to
last year, the Lakers are in a much better position to have success. While the
Lakers did have LeBron James last season, their depth and other star power
or lack thereof wasn’t enough to carry the team when injuries hit.
Luckily, James
looks very healthy and motivated this season. James is playing at an MVP level,
and he is certainly a big reason why the Lakers are having success. However, in
addition to LeBron, the Lakers had a great offseason this past summer.
While the
Lakers might have fell short of their ultimate goal of landing two superstars
to play with LeBron this season, they still had a great offseason, and a solid
backup plan after Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Considering how
messy things looked in the front office at the end of last season and even to
start the summer, the Lakers did a great job putting together a strong roster.
With
Thanksgiving time here, these are three moves from the offseason that the
Lakers and their fans should be thankful for.
Dwight Howard signing
One of the moves that the Lakers made after missing out on Kawhi Leonard was the signing of DeMarcus Cousins. Despite being injured the
last few seasons, it appeared like Cousins was finally healthy and ready to
have a bounce-back season.
However, in a summer workout, Cousins tore his ACL, leaving
the Lakers in a tough spot to try and find a replacement. Since most free
agents had already signed, the options left for the Lakers at the center
position weren’t ideal.
Luckily, the Lakers fell on to Dwight Howard. Considering
Howard’s poor history with the Lakers and his reputation around the league in
recent years, many were skeptical about the signing.
While these were legitimate concerns, Howard has been great
for the Lakers and doing all of the right things. Howard is coming off the
bench and being a very effective player for the Lakers. Arguably, he has
out-performed the start for the Lakers in JaVale McGee.
Howard has been effective on both ends of the court, as he
is averaging over one block per game. Even though he isn’t the superstar that
he was the first time around with the Lakers, he has been a very valuable asset
off the bench.
Frank Vogel becoming head coach
After parting ways shortly after last season with then head
coach Luke Walton, there was a lot of speculation
about who would be the next head coach of the Lakers. During the initial
interview process, it looked like the Lakers would be hiring Ty Lue to be the
next head coach of the team.
Considering Lue was a the head coach for LeBron in
Cleveland and won a title together, Lue appeared like he was going to be the
guy for the Lakers. However, despite it looking like nearly a done deal, the
Lakers and Lue were never really close on a contract.
This looked like another failure for the Lakers’ front
office, but they then decided to move forward with Frank Vogel instead. Vogel
had a lot of success with Paul George and the Indiana Pacers, as he was
no stranger to playing LeBron and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.
Those Pacers teams were some of the best in the league on the defensive end,
and he has brought that mentality to Los Angeles.
The Lakers have been one of the best defensive teams in the
league so far, as Vogel’s message has certainly been heard by his players.
Anthony Davis trade
Easily the thing that the Lakers should be most thankful
for from last offseason was the decision to make a trade for Anthony Davis.
Last season, the Lakers aggressively tried to acquire Davis, but no deal was
completed during the season.
If the Lakers did trade for Davis during the season, things
might have been much different for the Lakers. With the front offices changing
a bit for both the Lakers and Pelicans last summer, the two sides were able to
get a deal done.
The price to acquire Davis was not cheap, as the Lakers had
to part with nearly their entire young core and multiple draft picks. However,
it is looking like it is worth it so far. The pairing of Davis and LeBron has
created one of the best duos in the NBA, and the two are meshing well.
Davis has been a force on both the offensive and defensive
ends of the court. So far, Davis is looking like he could be in the
conversation for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Even though it
might have hurt to see young players like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart go, this trade looks like it was the
right move for the Lakers. Furthermore, the Lakers and fans should be very
thankful for the Davis trade.
