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“Lakers-Dollars Overcome Dysfunction”

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Don’t you just love some aspects of the NBA.

It’s all about winning, even if you are incompetent, dishonest, disloyal. And dollars allow you to do anything you want, to anybody.

So today the Lakers feel good about themselves now, proving dollars can buy you most anything, even if your credibility is shot.

Six years of missing the playoffs…terrible missteps in family ownership, chaos in the front office, a distracted lockeroom, all has seemingly been washed away by the blockbuster NBA trade that brought them superstar Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Lakers pull off a 6-for-1 trade to get Davis. A tremendous price to pay to get the 6’11 star from the Pelicans. It cost them 3-first round draft picks, and another wave of young players they developed over the last two years, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.

Oddly those 3, plus this years 4th pick in the first round, will join ex-Laker Julius Randle already in New Orleans. The Pelicans will draft 1st and 4th, meaning they get Zion Williamson, another hot pick at the top of the board, and the 3-Lakers kids. That’s quite a team on the floor.

They give up a selfish star and rid themselves of troubling power broker agent Rich Paul, who engineered, and executed the end of Davis’ career with the Pelicans.

The deal gives the Lakers 3-quality players, the aging LeBron James, also repped by the same agent as Davis, plus young forward Kyle Kuzma.

The Lakers will still have 33M in cap space and could conceivably wind up with another near max-free agent. Or maybe they spread that money around and get 3-younger quality support players.

Jimmy Butler of the 76ers, Kemba Walker of Charlotte, DeAngelo Russell of Brooklyn, or Kyrie Irving of Boston could all be the last name acquisition. Then there’s Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, or veterans like Patrick Beverly or Ricky Rubio, or Bojan Bogdanovich, all who might be more affordable and provide ‘strength in numbers’.

Of course the Lakers have 10-roster spots to fill and hopefully they will do a better job this year than the group of misfits they brought ion last year. Maybe Rajon Rondo and Javale McGee will want to stay for minimum vets salaries to see if they can ride the coat-tails to the NBA finals with King James and AD.

So odd. For months upon months, my friends at the LA Times, lead columnists and voices of criticism, railed on Jeannie Buss and Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson, for the dysfunction they dragged the franchise into. Now Bill Plashke-Arash Markazi and Dylan Hernandez are standing at the front of the line with pom-poms in hand as they bang the keyboard, cheering on the new look Lakers.

That’s all okay, though there still are issues, Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins looking over the shoulder of the new coach. And whether the defensive demands of new head coach Frank Vogel, fall on the empty ears of the highest priced players in the world. And how long before Magic Johnson wants back in after screwing it all up. And whether Pelinka is as abrasive as people say he is and how that plays in the lockeroom.

I am not sure the dysfunction is in the distant past.

Up next surely will be my guy ‘Ice Cube’ with a new video promo to this next Lakers area.

It’s like the pennants atop Wrigley Field at home games in Chicago with the Cubs…blow one way-one day..the other way the next.

It’s quite a price for LA to pay to try and take a run to the top with an aging LeBron, and a Davis, carrying with him a history of injuries in his New Orleans baggage. There will be a short window for LA to make this happen before King James takes his talents to his post life career.

The Lakers are rid of young players I liked, but also rid of the whining parent LaVar Ball, whose taken his mouth to New Orleans. Think anyone will listen to his rhetoric on Bourbon Street? .So much for all things in the Ball Family. They are rid too of lead cheerleader Magic Johnson, great player, but a great failure in other things basketball.

So we now wait to see what transpires next in Lakerland.

I don’t know if the AD-trade can be equated to the acquisition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in the day, that came at quite a price too, in David Myers, Brian Winters and Junior Bridgdeman. Or equal to what the Lakers draft pick trade that netted them the right to draft Magic Johnson. It won’t be the steal they got when they traded for Wilt Chamberlain of the then Philadelphia Warriors why back in 1968.

The downside for LA is the age factor, the injury factor, and maybe the reality that the real GM in Los Angeles is Rich Paul, not Rob Pelinka, and the question, should an agent carry that kind of clout in any locker-room?

For 1-day the Lakers knocked the Toronto Raptors-NBA championship off the front page of the NBA headlines.

Now we see what the longterm impact of this deal is, not just for the Lakers, but also the Clippers, who have two max free agent slots to use, and Golden State, who could lost 2-quality free agents, or bring the whole band back together.

The Lakers fired the first shot in free agency. We shall see what the next 3-weeks bring as other deals take place.

The NBA, proves one thing. Dollars buy your way out of dysfunction.

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“NBA Champs-True North”

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It was a war of attrition.

When it was over the NBA Championship Trophy will have to cross the border to find its new home, Toronto.

The Raptors won the title, finding a way to stave off comeback after comeback from the battered Golden State Warriors.

It took a 48-point night effort from the Raptors two point guards, Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Vleet to fuel the Toronto win.

Van Vleet, undrafted and unwanted out of Wichita State, hit 3-straight 3-point shots and then drilled 3-free throws in a row to drive Toronto to the win.

There were big performances lots of other places. Serge Ibaka came off the bench to get 15-points. Pascal Siakam stepped up with a big game, 26-points worth of effort.

Kawhi Leonard wound up 22 and the final 3-free throws sealed the deal.

For Golden State, it was another night, another devastating injury. Klay Thompson had 30-points but went out with a hyper-extended knee landing awkwardly after making a jump shot. He was helped off, much like Kevin Durant was, the game before.

The Warriors could not survive the loss of 65-points in that lineup, without Durant and Thompson.

Steph Curry was choked off, going without a basket the final 6-minutes, miss the only 3-shots he took.

Golden State showed such heart in the face of all that adversity. What a night for the Warriors warrior, Draymond Green who wound up with 11P…19-rebounds…13-assists in a yeoman performance.

The Warriors were great champions over a 5-year run. But for the last two weeks, Toronto found the resolve to win. How impressive for them to win 3-games on Golden State’s floor.

And the true champions earned this one. That’s why the trophy is going to the True North.

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“Thursday Topics-Lots of Them”

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PADRES…..Do not be alarmed about the decision of the Padres to send hot young rookie pitcher Chris Paddack to Lake Elsinore. This is to give him a 10-day rest from the rotation. He’ll throw between starts, and likely make a short start for the Storm. This is about managing his innings this year, and also to give him extended time between starts. Yes he has velocity, but he has been missing the zone, and his ball movement has not been what it was in his first five starts. The ERA is (7.20) the last six outings. It is a fatigue situation.

PADRES…Lucky for the Friars the farm system is so plentiful, they can afford to make a Paddack move like this. Decent starts from Calvin Quantrill and Nick Margavicius and the odd bullpen day, led by Robbie Erlin, make this possible. Next to be called up might be Logan Allen.

DODGERS…Another blow to the team, the loss of SS-Corey Seager with a severe hamstring injury. Likely putting him on the shelf for 8-weeks. Justin Turner has yet to get hot, after missing the early season with nagging injuries.

DODGERS…Joe Kelly is the huge disappointment in LA. The ex-Red Sox setup guy, getting 5M a year, has a (7.59-ERA). His line, (21inn-20R-38-baserunners-20HRs).

ANGELS….If you don’t have pitching, you cannot win, even if Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are in the middle of your lineup. Why the Halos would ever give Trevor Cahill (5M) is a shocker. He’s now on the DL after a horrific seige of starts Try these numbers on for size, (39inn-39R) and a 7.18-ERA.

ANGELS…Woe is the other veteran starter, Matt Harvey, the ex-Met, plagued by back problems, and now in shutdown mode on a rehab assignment. Last start (2.2inn-7R-82 pitches). The Halos just got Andrew Heaney back from elbow issues. Aside from 1st round pick Gabe Canning, the rest of the rotation resembles the Salt Lake City Bees of the PCL.

CHARGERS…Ominous is the word used to describe head coach Anthony Lynn, when asked about an injury to LT-Russell Okung. He gave no details, but the Pro Bowler has not been on the field in late OTA’s or this weeks veteran minicamp. He had a history of injuries before he got to the Bolts,but has had 2-healthy seasons. Maybe shelf-life expiring. They cannot afford to lose him.

RAMS….Everyone is talking about it, everyone but the Rams head coach Sean McVay and his star running back Todd Gurley. Talking about the arthritic condition in his knee, the one he so badly hurt at Georgia. It virtually ceased his production late last season in the playoff run into the Super Bowl. Now he’s not on the field for any team work in the OTAs or this weeks minicamp. McVay issues general answers about ‘managing his workload’, Gurley says its a ‘minor issue’. Until he has 100-yard games again, no one will buy what the Rams are selling.

LAKERS LINE….They are talking again to the New Orleans Pelicans about a deal for upset soon-to-be free agent Anthony Davis. Two trade offers are being discussed. The Lakers would ship the 4th pick in the draft,plus Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram for Davis. Or New Orleans is asking for Kyle Kuzma-Ball-Ingram in a 3-for-1 swap, and letting the Lakers keep the 4th pick. Stay tuned, if it is to happen, it will happen within the next two weeks leading into the draft.

KINGS-DUCKS FAREWELLS….Rumors everywhere that the Kings are going to eat the 12M-owed veteran defenseman Dion Phaneuf. They are also shopping the 8M-contract of RW-Dustin Brown. The Ducks are attempting to trade the 17M left on Corey Perry’s contract, or may do the amnesty buyout of his deal to get cap relief. Both teams want to get younger, both teams need salary cap space. Changes are coming.

KINGS-DUCKS TRADES…The NHL draft is just around the corner. The Kings are interested in a deal for Patrick Marleau, the Leafs veteran power forward. The Ducks like 20-goal scorer Kasperi Kaapen, whom Toronto needs to move in a salary cap deal. Both could happen leading into the draft.

GULLS…He’s waiting for the phone to ring. Caller ID should say “949” and Dallas Eakins should be offered the Ducks head coaching job. Why not? He put in 4-really solid years once the Gulls put the AHL franchise into San Diego, and he’s probably coached 8-to-10 of the Ducks young draft picks, who have been up and down the last couple of years. He deserves it. So deserving of credit too, is Gulls GM-Bob Ferguson who led the charge to hire Eakins to come to San Diego, after he had been dumped by the Edmonton Oilers after just a year and a half on the Oilers bench.

WORLD CUP SOCCER….a big 13-0 opening win for Team USA in the Women’s World Cup in France, and a big win for Fox-TV in the opening game rating. A 2.2-share, the highest in the US since the 2018 FIFA-Cup finals. Kansas City had the highest market rating (4.5)….San Diego, which does not have a team was second best (4.1). Yes, alot of criticism of the over celebration by the USA women, and words like ‘piling on’…’overkill’….’disrespectful’ for all the exuberance they showed in overwhelming the Thai team. Things will get more challenging in the next two weeks, and so will a rise in ratings too.

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“Questions-Everywhere-NBA”

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The pain on his face equalled the pain in the heart of all of his teammates. And likely the pain we all felt for a great player going down.

So many questions in the aftermath of Kevin Durant crumbling to the floor with an Achilles tendon injury in the 2nd quarter of the Golden State-Toronto game.

Season over, career in jeopardy, and a lot of questions to be answered.

You had to feel the raw emotion of what happened.

WAS DURANT TOTALLY HEALTHY…He says he was, and he surely ran the floor hard, jumped and landed on that right leg in the first and second quarter. He did not make sharp cuts and his big buckets were 3-point jumpers away from the basket. No rebounds, not much defense moving side to side..

WHO DECIDED HE WAS READY TO PLAY…The Warriors say it was a combination of the trainers, doctors and the player himself.

HOW DID THEY KNOW HE WAS READY…He practiced hard in scrimmages with the rookies the last two days leading up to the Monday night game. He seemed fit.

WHY THE TEARS FROM THE GM…Good question as GM-Bob Myer got choked up at the podium in the post game press conference. If he had reservations about Durant playing, he should have interjected himself and made an exec decision.

WHAT WAS THE RISK DURANT TOOK….In retrospect a great one, for if he tore the calf it would be bad, and if the Achilles went it would be worse, yet his competitive fires pushed him to play.

IS THERE A STORY BEHIND THE STORY…In the last 24-hours comes reports the Durant had told teammates he still had discomfort while practicing but wanted to try and play for the team in whatever role he could play. Now you wonder if someone should have stepped in, who knew he still had discomfort and stop this?

THE IMPACT ON DURANT….He has an opt-in…opt-out clause in his contract. He could stay next season by opting in at (31M) and getting a payday while seeing how long the rehab takes. He could opt out and go onto the free agent market in July and get a max contract (38M) from another team, but then who signs him for 4-years without knowing what kind of player he will be coming off a long layoff. His game was explosion and quickness, will it still be there when he comes back?

NBA FREE AGENCY-TRADES…Definitely takes on a different look now, There will be no combo-signings this summer of Durant-Kawhi Leonard with the Clippers…or Durant-Kyrie Irving in New York….and it may even impact potential trades involving New Orleans and unhappy Anthony Davis.

CAN THE WARRIORS WIN….They sure can, based on the spirited comeback in Game 5-in Toronto. They will have to hit another 15-to-20 three point shots on Thursday at home, but they’ve done that before. Their defense slowed Kawhi Leonard down for nearly 3-and-a half quarters. They will need a huge game from DeMarcus Cousins, he himself having comeback from a devastating Achilles injury.

SHOULD TORONTO HAVE WON THIS ALREADY….Definitely, especially when rookie head coach Nick Nurse took a timeout with 3-minutes left, his team on a (10-2) run, and had a 6-point lead. He promptly saw Steph Curry and Klay Thompson hit 3-straight threes, trigger a (10-0) run and take the lead and win the game. They should have been celebrating in Toronto already.

WHAT’S NEXT…Stay tuned for Thursday, and a likely Warriors win, and then a game seven back in Toronto, where the Raptors should finally get the trophy.

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“NBA Fans-Easty to Hate…Better to Appreciate”

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NBA fans wear their emotions on their sleeves, especially at this time of year, as the NBA championship trophy is handed out.

They love to cheer, love to hate. They root and they boo. It’s what the Golden State Warriors have encountered.

The good teams win, and then they wind up losing. They build a following and they fan the flames of dis-respect from fans around the league.

It’s the culture of the NBA. People got tired of the Red Auerbach-Celtics. They got turned off by the Lakers Showtime. The same Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen and the Chicago Bulls bunch.

And now the Golden State Warriors have almost reached the finish line.

The Warriors, shredded by injuries again to Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney, came from 6-back to hit 3-critical 3-point shots to win in Toronto, to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

They showed heart, no quit, lots of grit, but they are running on fumes, and running out of time. Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard came back to score 10-point in a row to almost get his team the win.

The True North fans showed no class, cheering when Durant reinsured his calf in the 2nd quarter, even upsetting their Toronto players.

The series goes on, but the talk should be about the legacy of the Warriors, apparently on their last legs.

There should be a great debate how their legacy matches up with the past dynasties in Boston, LA, Chicago.

It may never be the same in the Bay Area. Teams change, and this one certainly will and it’s not just what the Toronto Raptors accomplished. It’s free agency, it’s age, it’s injuries. It’s the inevitable change.

What a run Golden State has had. Since the 2012 season, 3-championship rings. Two other times they got to the finals. 5-Division titles in a row.

The regular season record in this span of Golden State basketball is (428-154) in the regular season. Add in a (75-26) record in the post season. Dominant.

A composite 503-wins with Steve Kerr as head coach.

All this from a franchise that had 12-losing seasons prior. At the turn of the decade, they went 19-63, 17-65, and 21-61.

In 1974, they won a title with Al Attles . The Nate Thurmond-Rick Barry run was good, but had a limited shelf life.. Back in the day, they were originally the Philadelphia Warriors, with Wilt Chamberlain and they won titles in the 1960s.

But by this weekend, this era will be officially over.

Kevin Durant will likely leave as a free agent, maybe to the LA Clippers or the NY Knicks.

Klay Thompson, part of the ‘Splash Brothers’ team with Steph Curry, could leave too, though he may stay because he has a special bond with his teammates.

Tough guy forward Andre Iguodala is openly talking retirement. So is bench bunch guard Shaun Livingston. And center DeMarcus Cousins, coming off two years of injuries, is not the player he was, and could head elsewhere.

Steph Curry and Draymond Green have been great players, and they established a special chemistry, where all the players elected to earn ‘less than the max’ so they could put together this star-studded galaxy roster.

It’s easy for fans to dislike teams that win all the time. It’s special that these teams have this kind of run, when you compare the short shelf life the Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers had, and the few rings they got, despite their locked and loaded rosters.

As we say good bye to the season, we likely say good bye to the Golden State Warriors, what they represented, how they did it, and how they handled super-stardom.

Thanks Golden State for all he fun watching this franchise, and how classy the team was, from Kerr to Curry and Klay and KD, and everyone in-between.

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