![]() ![]() The roster is geared towards something of a defensive renaissance after a disappointing 21st-place finish a season ago. The Lakers have praised Ham for the defense-first culture he's building in Los Angeles. He last did it in 2021, when he got only 81 combined games out of James and Davis. Just think about the coach he's replacing. How many first-time head coaches have ever been tasked with a more difficult job than Darvin Ham? Forget about all of the drama, the injuries and the broken roster. The Lakers are giving him a chance to become the sort of player capable of helping James and Davis win. Westbrook's 34th birthday is in November. Allen Iverson played his last NBA game at the age of 34. If it doesn't? Well, remember, the NBA sours on players quickly. Perhaps the season from hell changes his mind. Nothing has ever compelled Westbrook to embrace such a role before. Gallons of ink have been spilled on the theoretical concept of "role player Russ." The basketball world has been asking him to cut and screen and defend and chill with the mid-range jumpers for his entire career. Rob Pelinka swears that "he's all in to do whatever it takes for this team to win, in whatever role that means." Westbrook himself still thinks the trio of himself, James and Davis can be "unstoppable." It should be noted that coach Ham still has not committed to including Westbrook in his starting lineup. New coach Darvin Ham says he wants to "diversify" and "redirect" Westbrook's energy into defense and off-ball movement. So here we are, nearly six months past one of the most unbelievable exit interviews you'll ever see, getting ready to watch Russell Westbrook play his second season in Los Angeles.Įveryone's talking a good game. Typically the NBA grants such miserable partners a divorce, but none of the league's other 29 clubs are willing to relieve the Lakers of that $47 million anchor around their neck. We know that because his now former agent essentially told us as much. Russell Westbrook doesn't want to be a Laker. We know that because they just spent an entire summer trying to trade him. Signed LeBron James to a two-year contract extension with a player-option after the 2023-24 season.and Juan Toscano-Anderson to guaranteed contracts. Signed Dennis Schroder, Lonnie Walker IV, Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr.Retained only six players from last season's roster: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel.Here are the major storylines surrounding the 2022-23 Los Angeles Lakers. So let's take a look at the biggest questions facing that group, aside from the medical ones surrounding James and Davis. The Lakers are going to test that theory this season with a lineup composed primarily of free-agent scraps, unheralded youngsters and veterans desperate to turn their careers around. Not a single one of their teammates from that 2020 title run is still wearing purple and gold, but the versions of James and Davis we saw in the Orlando bubble were so good that they likely could've won with just about anyone. The last time the two of them stayed healthy for an entire season, they won a championship. That's the power of having two superstars.īy virtue of employing LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have to be taken seriously. you'll see the Lakers nestled snugly between the Denver Nuggets, who have the two-time reigning MVP, and Miami Heat, who came one shot away from reaching the NBA Finals last season, at +1800. Why, someone even hacked the team owner's Twitter account to try to sell some PS5s.Īnd yet, if you look at the championship odds available at Caesars Sportsbook. More than half of their roster is set to earn a minimum salary. They owe $47 million to a player nobody wants. Their two best players can't stay healthy. They've turned over the roster three offseasons in a row. Where do we begin? In roughly 18 months, the Los Angeles Lakers went from NBA champions to deserving lottery fodder. ![]()
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