NBA All-Star breaks used to be a relaxing time for Luke Walton.
As a player, Walton often vacationed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to enjoy some sun and recharge in the middle of a physically taxing NBA season. As an NBA coach, his schedule is dramatically different.
Before the Lakers (19-39) stopped the persistent losing simply because they temporarily had no more games to play, Walton said he planned to use part of the All-Star break comparing notes with his coaching staff. The Lakers resume practice Wednesday before their first post-break game at the Oklahoma City Thunder (32-25) on Friday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
“It will be nice to have a day to reflect on everything with where we’re at,” Walton said. “I’ll sit down with all the coaches, talk to them and discuss where we want to go moving forward. What’s best for the guys development-wise? Who needs what?”
Because of the Lakers’ considerable issues (talent, consistency, defensive shortcomings), Walton might find himself in need of the kind of cocktails that flow freely in tropical vacation spots. But he has more responsibilities now. Instead, the first-year head coach planned to meet with GM Mitch Kupchak, vice president of player personnel Jim Buss and adviser Magic Johnson to swap report cards.
Amid that backdrop loom two unanswered questions. Does the recent addition of Johnson suggest imminent changes within a front office that has overseen three coaching changes, three missed playoff appearances and franchise-worst records the last two seasons? Will the Lakers make any moves to upgrade their roster for the short and/or long term before Thursday’s trade deadline?
The Lakers have remained quiet about Johnson’s advisory role, other than outlining he will report to president Jeanie Buss and assist in a variety of capacities pertaining to basketball and business manners. Still, many around the league expect changes will come at the expense of Jim Buss and Kupchak.
The Lakers have been a bit more forthcoming about Thursday’s trade deadline.
Kupchak does not consider anyone on this roster untouchable, which was the way the organization viewed Kobe Bryant for most of his 20-year NBA career. Still, Kupchak has acknowledged a reluctance to break up the team’s young core, both because of its talent and long-term potential. Several reports said the Lakers and Sacramento Kings ended discussions about a potential trade involving All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins on Sunday after the Lakers refused to include rookie forward Brandon Ingram.
If the Lakers do make a deal, the most likely candidates to leave are two of their more productive offensive players: veteran guards Lou Williams, 30, and Nick Young, 31. Their play and relatively salary cap-friendly contracts could yield the most value from playoff contenders, while freeing up opportunities for the rest of a young roster to close out the 2016-17 season.
“I’m a little old school in my approach,” Williams said last week regarding trade inquiries. “I play for a team that I have a jersey on for. I don’t really deal with hypotheticals. If something happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Right now, I’m going to compete for the Lakers.”
Young, who grew up a Lakers fan while playing for Cleveland High of Reseda and USC, also said he wants to compete for the Lakers. But he did not sound too upset about possibly being traded if it’s under the right conditions.
“It’s either stay home,” Young said, “or hopefully go to somebody that’s making a push to the playoffs.”
The Lakers will not be one of those teams.
Technically, they are seven games behind the Denver Nuggets (25-31) for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. But the Lakers are all but mathematically eliminated from postseason contention considering they have won consecutive games only three times this season.
As Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell said, “I don’t think we’re judging the season on wins right now.”
So even if Young echos the thoughts of teammates when he said he hopes the Lakers can reach the 30-win threshold, the Lakers will take stock in other areas.
How much more growth and consistency will Russell, Ingram, Julius Randle, Ivica Zubac, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. show? Will they cut down on the losses that are a product of poor focus or effort? Which players will thrive in crunch time?
Walton hasn’t hesitated to make lineup changes as he searches for the right combinations, and any further tinkering could depend on whether the Lakers make additional roster moves coming out of this week’s meetings.
A week on a tropical beach sounds a lot more appealing than trying to make sense of these variables, but Walton and the front office know trying to resolve these issues and evaluate the players they have will help shape an offseason that figures to include a lot of significant decisions.
Contact the writer: mmedina@scng.com
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