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What could have been the dawn of a new era for the Lakers has become a summer of almost all. They almost signed Kawhi Leonard, but he joins the Clippers instead. They almost Ty Lue, the head coach's top pick, but negotiations broke down and he joined Doc Rivers staff. But all was not dark when the dust dissipated. Danny Green's signature and the possibility that DeMarcus Cousins regain fame gives the Lakers an unparalleled chance to win the title.
They could still, but all the way to glory will be drawn without Boogie, who tore up his left ACL last Monday. Thanks to two huge contracts (LeBron James and Anthony Davis combine to eat more than 50% of the Los Angeles ceiling this season), to bad decisions of the past (pay $ 5 million a year to Luol Deng for not doing part of the team), and NBA Rules that restrict the exchange of a player acquired in free agency before December 15, the Lakers' options to replace their fallen All-Star are limited.
Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Lakers planned training with three major men: Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah and Marreese Speights. None of the three is an excellent choice to fill the void left by Boogie, who was himself a backup plan. Alas, it's the lemons of the Lakers, rotten and abscesses. Here is an overview of one of the three center candidates who has the best chance of making lemonade.
Dwight Howard
Why could it work
Dwight always shows a glimpse of the talent that once made it a unique center. He only played nine games with the Wizards last season, but he nearly made a double-double on average. He posted 25 points and 17 rebounds against a competent Brooklyn team in November. The penultimate season, he had on average 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds for the Hornets, recorded 53 double-doubles and got the second result of the century with 30 points and 30 rebounds.
If Howard can overcome the buttock injury which prevented him from playing for most of last season, he could perhaps offer the Lakers an effective option off the bench. He's not the protector of the rim that he's ever been, but his nose for the boards (he was fifth in the NBA in rebound rate among the regulars of 2017-18) and his height ( to use scientific terms, it is an absolute unity) threaten it with lob. Dwight's first purple and gold spell did not work, but in a reduced role, there is enough to believe that the second could.
Why it will not work
Forgive me, but I have already heard this story. In 2012-13, Dwight honored the Staples Center with his presence … and quickly ended the Lakers dynasty. With Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, Dwight was supposed to usher in the new generation of Los Angeles domination of the league. Instead, their only season together resulted in a lot of infighting, a Spurs first-round sweep, and an infamous Illustrated Sports blanket.
The situation was not special for Howard either. As my colleague Rodger Sherman explained last summer, Dwight may well be the most universally hated player in the league. Leaving Orlando, he burned down bridges, culminating in an extremely clumsy press conference with Stan Van Gundy. He's scrambled with the Rockets, Hawks, Hornets and Wizards. We will probably remember more about his Lakers era for this photo than for all he did on the field:
Howard is technically still on contract with the Grizzlies and played his last professional basketball game on November 18, 2018. A few weeks later, he underwent lumbar surgery to treat the gluteal injury. Large traditional men over 30 years old who rely on their athleticism rarely become more agile with age. The Lakers are in this situation because they bet on a formerly dominant center with a litany of wounds; Adding another to the scrum is like crushing your car on a pole, saving it, and then entering it a second time. And this before examining the history of less than stellar locker rooms of Dwight.
Joakim Noah
Why could it work
After a sad end of the Knicks term, Noah experienced a rebirth in Memphis last season, averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game. After Marc Gasol was sent to Toronto for Jonas Valanciunas, Noah was even better, adding 11.3 points on 55% of shots and 7.8 rebounds per night in an increased role.
Of the three candidates, Noah is the strongest domestic defensive presence. He recorded 1.6 blocks every 36 minutes last season, as well as 1.0 interception and 12 rebounds. And unlike Howard, he is not a major handicap to the free throw line, drawing 70% of his career career. Howard may not have the ceiling, but he has an upper floor. For a team that already has two superstars in the zone before, this could be enough.
Why it will not work
Before Noah resurrected with the Grizzlies, he was also plagued by wounds. He has played 80 games only twice in his career, the last of which was in 2013-2014. Since then, he has played only 47% of his possible matches. In the last four years, he has played so many seasons with less than 30 games played against more than 30.
Like Howard, he is not a threat in the background, having never done 3. Although he is shooting well from the free-throw line, he does it much less often than Howard. And with JaVale McGee already on the list, it's hard to see what he could add, namely that McGee could not do it in minutes.
Marreese Speights
Why could it work
Mo'S Buckets is the only player on this list to have championship experience after winning a ring in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. Like his former Bay Area teammates, Speights has the gift of hitting the long ball, shooting 35.6% of his career beyond the bow. In 2017-18, he scored 37% of his scoring attempts on 4.5 attempts per game for a Magic team with a congested area. He also offered a 5-bench spacing, which would give LeBron and Co. plenty of room to drive. the rim.
Speights does not offer much in rim protection or board recovery, but his offensive contributions contradict those presented by Howard and Noah. You can never have too many shooters, especially when they are big and they play for the minimum required. Speights has never played less than 52 games in one season (his record in 2017-2018) and could ideally replace a Lakers team with a dull bench.
Why it will not work
Do you remember Kyle Kuzma? The only non-LeBron player the Lakers have been determined to keep? They sent Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart to look for Davis, but Kuzma was the young player that they kept. Last season, Kuzma built on his already impressive debut campaign, averaging 18.7 points and showing the versatility needed to play the front positions and the moonlight as the center of little ball. Kuzma can do almost anything Speights can do, but better.
Mo is slightly bigger (6 feet 10 inches and 255 pounds against 6 feet 9 feet and 220 pounds of Kuzma) and slightly better off the arc (35.6% for his career against 33.5% for Kuzma ) but it's a redundancy for LA More than anything else, like all other Lakers potential rookies, it prevents head coach Frank Vogel from missing his best field on the front. Do not think so much, Frank. Just play LeBron at 4 and Davis at 5.
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