Chuckdangler

@GoldenKnightGFX LOL MARCELO HUERTAS FTW

@GoldenKnightGFX damn he does kind of look a bit like him😇😇

He looks just like him

@jovanbuha @KamBrothers yes sir :)

New episode w/ @KamBrothers (AK): -- LA signs Ziaire Williams: How he fits, slots into the rotation, etc. -- Austin Reaves takes a $5M pay cut -- Lakers' continued pursuit of Kuminga -- Carr & Thiero shine -- Mañon & Kaluma intrigue as fits -- Q&A Watch: youtube.com/live/JxL5rA5TZ…

@ShooterMcGavin oo ee ouch. nice one Shooter! they certainly "choked on that" lol

U.S. soccer players going home to their wives tonight

@iztok_franko I didn't get to watch much of the game but I am very excited to see what carr will do when he is in a lineup that others will get double teamed in 😁

I didn't include Cameron Carr when talking about the new Lakers and them transforming into a high three-point volume team. Carr had 11 three-point attempts in 23 minutes of his Summer League debut. Made 5. Another high volume shooter...

@iztok_franko but harden is not on the same level as Luka, and Ant.. as much as a baller he is, he can't create the same way Luka can. So, i'm not worried. Plus, defence in the playoffs matter more too.

Great Walker Kessler deep dive by Sam 👇

@iztok_franko Hi Iztok! Thanks for this, I was actually looking for this article! Regarding what Sam said about Kessler running into problems in the playoffs, well, Rudy Gobert or Jarrett Allen both dont' have someone named Luka creating for them. You could argue Harden can do that...

@jovanbuha hey brate. I think its a fair assessment. I was angry at the Mamu deal cuz i thought it was a dash too high but I loved both the Grimes and the Sexton deals, and of course we hit a HR with the Kessler AAV. We still have 2 roster spots, so we'll see how it goes!

My extended thoughts on the Lakers’ moves today (for those who didn’t catch my stream): — I think the primary goal should’ve been to land a long-term piece next to Luka and Austin. There was no scenario in which the Lakers built a team as good as OKC's or SAS's in one offseason (especially after losing LeBron). They landed that foundational player in Walker Kessler, my top offseason target (at any position) and clear top C. Perfect fit. Franchise cornerstone who can be top 5 in FG%, rebounds, and blocks next season. Monster on both ends. Love the signing. Think the AAV is fair and in line with market value, especially re: poaching him in restricted free agency. From that perspective, the offseason is an unequivocal success. I give the Kessler trade an A (would’ve liked to have kept one pick and/or one swap out of it -- trade price was high). Add in Deandre Ayton and Mamu, and I think the Lakers have one of the strongest center cores in the league. -- I also think the FO deserves credit for emptying the clip and going all-in for Kessler. The price was high, but I've criticized them for years for refusing to trade picks and meet some of the asking prices for young starters. It's only right to commend them when they actually do it. They went three transactional cycles with Luka without adding a high-level young starter. They finally did that. — As for the other three moves, I like all three players individually, particularly on the offensive end. I see the vision there. Collectively, they check a ton of boxes: youth, speed, shooting, dynamism, ball-handling/playmaking, rebounding (Mamu). This can be a top-five, if not even top-three, offense. -- At the same time, I view all three players as largely bench-level guys on a true contender. I view Grimes as a fringe starter/6MOY type, and Mamu and Sexton as high-level bench players. As of right now, two of those three project to start. It's similar to last season, when multiple guys were slotted into higher roles than they should've been (Smart, Rui, and Ayton). -- I think LA overpaid each player by roughly $1M-$2M in AAV, based on the market and similar signings. Not the worst thing in the world, but I also don’t understand why those contracts also came with player options. Should’ve only been POs with lower AAV deals (or fewer years). Or the agreed-to AAV with no POs. Feels like they paid max market value on each player + gave the PO on top. Perhaps that had to do with waiting on Kessler S&T, but I think they needed to negotiate the AAV or PO down. — I’m probably lower than consensus on Grimes. But I’ve come more around to the signing. I just think that, for now, they’re asking him to be: 1) the No. 3 option on a title contender, and 2) the defensive stopper on a title contender. I’m not sure either one of those is an appropriate ask of him. I think a proper slotting would be him as the fourth-best offensive player and the No. 2, or even 3, defender in a starting group. Offensively, he's an amazing fit, and the Lakers haven't had a role player with that skill set in years. Defensively, he'll need to channel his best stretches of defense far more consistently. Even then, I don't think he can be the best POA or wing defender on a title team (which he currently is among LA's top 7 players). — Love Mamu’s game and skill set. Just don’t think he’s a starter on a contender -- especially defensively. The Lakers are now set up to have him or Luka defend wings that play at the 4. Not ideal. If the Lakers add a 4 and move him into a third big role, I love the fit and see the vision. He can shoot, pass, drive, and rebound. He’s going to unlock a ton for them offensively in two-big looks or as the single big. I think it’s close between him and Rui, but I understand why they picked him. He has a more well-rounded game. He's the one that I have the most issue with contract-wise. That deal should have been 3 years at $39M, or 4 years at $40M, with no PO (same AAV on the shorter deal or a lower AAV on the 4-year deal). — Sexton is the signing I have the most reservations about. I think the Lakers would’ve been better served spending less $ — or even the same $ — retaining Marcus Smart or signing Kelly Oubre Jr. Both are much better defenders than Sexton, and could switch between POA and wing stopper roles at a higher level. Sexton is the better offensive player — better scorer/passer/shooter — but the Lakers’ obvious weakness with a Luka/AR/Kessler core is perimeter defense. I get the appeal of a scoring bench guard; I just think that archetype is easier to find than a (playable) wing/POA stopper. You can find the former on min deals every summer. You can't get the latter — most of the min. defenders aren't playoff-level guys. You can’t solve every hole in one transaction cycle, but the Lakers once again prioritized a small, offensive-minded guard over adding wing/perimeter defense. Sexton’s reputation as a defender is far beyond his actual defense. Even in the best-case scenario, he’s a 6-2 guard with switching limitations. The Lakers need good defenders in the 6-6 to 6-9 range. I would feel much better about this roster with Smart or Oubre in Sexton's place. — The Lakers didn’t address the wing defense for the sixth consecutive offseason (post 2020-21 season). It’s been a real blind spot for them post-KCP/Caruso. Grimes and Sexton are not good enough to be the primary POAs/wing stoppers on a title team. If you consider the Lakers a top 10 team (which I still do), I think they have the worst collection of 1-4 defensive talent among those teams by a decent margin (NYK, SAS, OKC, TOR, PHI, DEN, MIN, HOU & DET). That’s before mentioning CLE, ORL, PHX, POR, etc. DEN is maybe the exception -- depending on their offseason -- but I’d still take Gordon or Watson over any Laker perimeter defender by a good margin. -- I believe Kessler can be in the non-Wemby/Gobert conversation for best rim-protector in the league. He'll put out some of these fires, and is a massive upgrade over Ayton/Hayes. LA was the second-worst rim-protecting team in the NBA last season. That won't be the case this season. At the same time, he's not Wemby. He's not an elite defensive system in and of himself. He needs support. And the Lakers have built a rotation that is basically, "Let Kessler save us." -- There are three wild cards in all of this: Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr, and Jake LaRavia. Adou and Carr have the athleticism and defensive upside LA desperately needs. Perhaps one of them pops and quells some of these concerns. I think that's a big ask for a second- and/or first-year player, respectively, but that's the challenge ahead. LaRavia's shot and offensive confidence declined over the second half of last season, and if he can return to shooting like SAC/MEM (high 30s), he can be a bench stopgap. -- For those mentioning Vando, JJ has never used Vando as anything more than a 9th man when the team has been healthy over the past two seasons. They have clearly not clicked. JJ values shooting above almost all else. Perhaps LA is injured enough for Vando to factor in more, but I believe Jake will be ahead of him (again), and Adou and Carr may even be given opportunities ahead of him as well. This is all before factoring in the possibility that LA might trade him at some point. -- Overall, I commend LA for going all-in for Kessler. They added their center of the future and a third foundational piece. I think they also added three high-level bench players, albeit on contracts that are far more player-friendly than team-friendly. I think they've probably taken a step back from last season. It's been a successful offseason, but I think they need to start prioritizing perimeter defense more seriously and look beyond players whose primary strength is having a bag. -- As for comparing this group to last season, I don't think the new starting group or bench is as cohesive as last season's group. I think LA has 7 guys who could play in a series vs. NYK/OKC/SAS. Last season, I believe they also had 7, but they had more top-end talent with LeBron. Maybe Kessler is transformative enough defensively to offset that. I could be wrong. I think this group has a higher floor than last season's but a lower ceiling.

@iztok_franko Yes sir. It is certainly a hefty price to pay,And it will be a problem if it doesn't work out, but it's a gamble , and we know that the lakers are always willing to do this kind of stuff, plus they were short on options

One the other hand the Lakers got the center they wanted...and one that has the potential to be difference making, anchor of the defense.

@iztok_franko WTF.....

As a president of Marcus Smart club… this one hurts

@JakeLFischer @TheSteinLine that means spurs are probably not gonna be able to get Rui. For sure Rui will want multiple years

Sources say San Antonio has communicated a strong preference in limiting any agreement with a free agent forward to two-year deals. More @TheSteinLine here: tinyurl.com/pebetpkn

@GoldenKnightGFX haha hey, they just posted that Duren wants another meeting with the lakers tomorrow lol.

All this excitement with the Mexico game & just remembered the Lakers are losing everyone & haven’t made a move

@ClaireMPLS matter of the fact is, we don't have room to keep all of those guys.. they all played above their salaries.. so we'll see who we get as their replacements...

**out

for those keeping track at home, likely our the door for the lakers in a weak free agency class are: -luke kennard -lebron james -marcus smart -rui hachimura arguably the lakers 4 best/ most important performers in the playoffs this year, in some order

@TheRealReggieB @AMRAgency congratulations!

Tarris Reed We did it again @AMRAgency

@LukaUpdates for a cost controlled 2-3 year contract, hell yes.

Do you want Luke Kennard back on the Lakers next season or not?

@jovanbuha i'm starting to think you got aggregated again... you should probably check what is being said right now about you...

@BobbyMarks42 lol bobby…… I actually wrote an article on my social media account here in China on cap holds already, cuz damn we lakers fans gotta care about this lol

Laker fans will be an expert on the definition of "cap holds" by the end of this summer.

@GoldenKnightGFX facts bro. Facts..

No Luka meant there was always an expiration date on the season. Losing to the Wolves last season actually had me mad. This year it is what it is. This summer tho…no excuses. Gotta use the cap space & resources you have to your advantage. Next year I have a lot more expectations

@iztok_franko Hey Iztok.. For the first time in a long time I don't look forward to your post game feedback haah.. You were right about Tari Eason and AR in your last substack.. Today Eason cooked us alive.. By the way, i'm in Barcelona Next week, looking fwd to being in your timezone haha.

Lakers offense struggling badly, decline every game in the series since hot shooting start. Highest turnover rate in the playoffs. G1 115.2 pts per 100 G2 113.5 G3 108.8 G4 102.4 G5 102.2

@iztok_franko oh shit! so nice! love it. 😄

@cfeng123 typicall 2.00 or 3.30 am. But I see, if schedule is right, last 3 in this series all in EU prime time at 7pm CET.

Hats off to JJ, LeBron, Smart, Kennard and every other Laker. To how they prepared, how hard they played, and how they handled this 2 games. No matter what happens for the rest of this series and playoffs...this is impressive.