“Lakers–AARP Team”——————-

Championship team two years ago.
Injured team last year.
Oldest team in the NBA this coming year.

That’s the story line of Lakers basketball.

Tomorrow’s team will be interesting to watch.

Yes it was LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both sidetracked by major injuries last year, derailing the repeat-ring hopes.

Then the draft day trade for star guard Russell Westbrook, the high production star, who needs the ball to do his thing.

Then the flurry of signings over a 24-hour period.

Carmelo Anthony, the legendary Denver Nugget-New York Knick, known for high scoring but not much else.  A career (23PPG) guy, but a guy who keeps getting moved in deals.

The signing of a flurry of NBA-journeyman forward-guars.

Kent Bazemore, a shooter and defender, the ex Warrior-Hawk.
Kendrick Nunn, a scoring guard out of Miami.
Malik Monk, a streaky shooter, coming from the Charlotte Hornets.
Wayne Ellington, coming from Detroit, who has played roles everywhere.
Dwight Howard, back for a third tour of duty, with a good year with Philly.

This will be quite a chemistry experiment.

LeBron James has controlled all things on offense, piling up great stats and enormous minutes as he turned age 37.  Are the Lakers going to ask him to change position?

Anthony Davis is so good, so dominant, when he is healthy, but that is a problem, all the injuries, six of them over a two year span in LA.

Russell Westbrooke, master of triple-doubles, needs the ball to make things work.  He showed that in Oklahoma City, Houston and in Washington.  How is that going to work with LeBron?

Which Carmelo Anthony is coming here, and why has he been moved so much?

Howard was a nice complimentary piece in Philadelphia (7P-8R) and will give LA bulk inside, in place of the departed Andre Drummond.

Talen-Horton Tucker likely replaces the soon to depart Dennis Schroeder, who turned down a big contract from LA, and now is on the street with most of the free agent money already spent in the league.  A strange way to finish a (14PPG) season-when he played pretty well in LA.

Nunn and Monk are streaky players but are young with years infront of them.  And that is important because the Lakers have no cap space and no first round picks in the years going forward.

The NBA has become a league of young stars, shooters, leapers, athletes.
The Lakers have added 30-plus aged players everywhere.

The NBA roster looks like an AARP roster.

Age is one thing.  Team chemistry becomes another thing to watch.
All these stars have a history of production, but they all have a history of needing the ball to do their thing.  How do you fit the personalities together?

Stars or selfish players?  Success or failure?

Chemistry class, Lakers style,  about to begin.

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