Russell Westbrook and the Lakers' discipline test

Brian Windhorst and a squad of ESPN's Insiders benignant retired beingness and the quality from successful and astir the NBA world.

The Los Angeles Lakers are 0-3, person roster operation issues and yet volition person to marque a commercialized -- probably, but not certainly, involving Russell Westbrook.

For now, let's absorption connected wherever the Lakers tin spell from present due to the fact that the adjacent large determination they marque is apt going to trial their discipline. Really trial it. And portion this whitethorn hazard overstating it, it conscionable mightiness determine the destiny of the 2 remaining seasons Los Angeles has LeBron James nether declaration (yes, helium tin person a 3rd year, but it's a subordinate option).

But first, a speedy aside: Did you cognize 2020 Laker champs Alex Caruso ($9 million), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($14 million) and Kyle Kuzma ($13 million) harvester to gain $36 cardinal this play and the Lakers could person each of them positive P.J. Tucker ($10.5 million) for little than Westbrook ($47 million) earns this season? Apologies, couldn't beryllium helped, let's determination on.

Lakers wide manager Rob Pelinka, who, similar astir radical successful his job, is cautious erstwhile speaking to the media and layers connected the clichés, platitudes and, somewhat unsocial to him, the occasional parable.

Before the commencement of the 2022-23 season, helium allowed himself to talk a fewer lines of unvarnished information erstwhile evaluating the Lakers' position. And person attraction should beryllium paid erstwhile GMs accidental thing similar this:

"We person 1 of the large players, successful LeBron James, to ever play the crippled connected our team. He committed to america with a semipermanent contract, a three-year contract. So of course, we volition bash everything we can, picks included, to marque deals that springiness america a accidental to assistance LeBron get to the end," Pelinka said.

He added: "You person 1 changeable to marque a commercialized with aggregate picks, truthful if you marque that commercialized -- and I'm not talking astir immoderate peculiar subordinate connected our squad -- but if you marque that trade, it has to beryllium the close one. You person 1 changeable to bash it. So we're being precise thoughtful astir the decisions connected erstwhile and however to usage draught superior successful a mode that volition amended our roster."

This was a treble truth-telling and a uncommon gem of a connection that didn't straight reply a question; Pelinka brought it up himself. Unfortunately, it's besides a contradiction.

It's a situation to some maximize the James property 38 play (he turns 38 connected Dec. 30) and beryllium thoughtful astir utilizing the 2027 and 2029 draught picks the Lakers person disposable to see successful trades. In fact, it already has been a challenge. That is wherefore Westbrook is inactive connected the squad -- hitting some of those goals is simply a large inquire for immoderate beforehand office.

If the Lakers were to prosecute an emotionless consulting steadfast to measure their way forward, there's a beauteous bully accidental the proposal would beryllium thing similar this:

• Focus connected the summertime of 2023, during which the squad is presently positioned to person astir $50 cardinal successful salary-cap abstraction and the Lakers tin leverage this historical tendency of players to travel to L.A. via escaped bureau oregon trade. This is the cleanest, cheapest and perchance quickest mode to guarantee a turnaround. It mightiness mean not trading Westbrook, alternatively allowing his wage to simply autumn disconnected the books.

• While the squad isn't allowed to commercialized its 2023 first-round prime present and the New Orleans Pelicans person unprotected swap rights with it, it tin beryllium traded connected draught night. Waiting to see large deals until the summertime would adhd this portion arsenic a commercialized spot that could save immoderate of the Lakers' aboriginal draught capital. Or mightiness let them to really commercialized three firsts if they privation to upgrade their target(s).

• Invest heavy successful James' tally toward becoming the all-time starring scorer successful NBA history, engaging the fans successful this pursuit with celebrations and honors that distract from the underperforming team. Refer to the 2016 Kobe Bryant status circuit for champion practices.

After missing the playoffs past season, the Lakers taking this passionless way would astir apt not beryllium well-received by a ample information of their instrumentality base. But it's logical and the Lakers, adjacent if their batting mean connected roster moves has taken a dive recently, tin beryllium logical.

Pelinka's comments made it look similar determination was a benignant of quid pro quo with James and that agreeing to an hold would mean the squad would proceed to owe its aboriginal to guarantee winning ASAP. That's 1 mode to look astatine it. The different is James was giving the squad a acquisition of time, truthful it wouldn't person to person his declaration presumption acting similar a swinging anvil dangling implicit midseason decisions due to the fact that helium was good alert of the concern astatine hand.

When Lakers president Jeanie Buss gave Pelinka a declaration hold done 2026 (!) earlier the season, it came with the knowing it removed unit to marque a chaotic plaything astatine a commercialized to ostensibly prevention his job. Buss surely knew this wasn't apt to beryllium a play to retrieve erstwhile she did truthful and the tools to code it were successful abbreviated supply.

That gets backmost to the question: Will the Lakers beryllium capable to wait, arsenic Pelinka implies, for the large commercialized offer? Can they swallow the atrocious shooting nights, the societal media mockery, the media disapproval and adjacent the occasional frustrated James jab to instrumentality with the stated plan?

There mightiness beryllium a stopgap determination present oregon there, a tiny woody that mightiness not wreck adjacent year's headdress abstraction oregon a commercialized of those valued firsts for marginal improvement.

It's not that Pelinka hasn't searched for the big one now. According to rival executives, the Lakers person pitched two, 3 and four-team commercialized packages passim the summertime and fall, grasping astatine the panacea that brings successful 2 oregon 3 difference-makers successful 1 swoop.

It hasn't happened. But with a loaded upcoming draught people and astir apt much teams hoping to contend this play than determination are contention spots, the scenery has possibility.

When 1 has James and Anthony Davis nether contract, 17 title trophies, a immense well-heeled instrumentality basal and the gully of Southern California, 1 is not desperate. So the Lakers should not marque a hopeless move.

Right?

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Check retired this saccharine dime from Scottie Barnes

Now, here's NBA beforehand bureau insider Bobby Marks connected the Toronto Raptors' strategy to commencement the season:

More minutes, much problems for Raptors players?

There are 3 things guaranteed successful life: Taxes, decease and the Raptors starters playing 35-plus minutes each night.

In a league successful which coaches experimentation with antithetic lineups successful the opening of the season, Raptors manager Nick Nurse goes against that logic.

Outside of the foul occupation Scottie Barnes encountered connected opening nighttime against the Cleveland Cavaliers (he did play 32 minutes) and past the guardant injuring his ankle against the Miami Heat, each Raptors starter has played astatine slightest 35 minutes successful the archetypal 3 games.

A bully illustration of Nurse's committedness to his starters is the Raptors' nonaccomplishment successful Miami connected Saturday. Even connected the 2nd nighttime of a back-to-back and down 21 astatine the half, Nurse did not propulsion the plug connected his starting unit. They would yet chopped that pb to six successful the 4th fourth earlier losing 112-109. On Monday nighttime without Barnes, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam each played astatine slightest 39 minutes. O.G. Anunoby played 33 minutes but lone due to the fact that the guardant was successful foul trouble.

Will that inclination continue? Before Monday, the Raptors had been without 2 cardinal reserves, forwards Chris Boucher and Otto Porter Jr. When some players are afloat steadfast (Boucher played 12 minutes successful his archetypal crippled connected Monday), the dense workload for Barnes, Anunoby and Siakam should lessen. However, if past play is simply a reminder, VanVleet and Siakam ranked successful the apical 5 successful minutes played and the 3 different starters, Anunoby (12th), Barnes (18th) and Trent Jr. (24th) were successful the apical 25.

In the past 3 seasons, VanVleet has averaged 36.8 minutes per crippled (second lone to Philadelphia 76ers prima James Harden) and has missed a full of 55 games due to the fact that of assorted injuries.

And backmost to Brian Windhorst connected 1 Heat player's shrewd tactics:

Don't justice a Butler publication by his screen

There mightiness not beryllium a bigger troll successful the NBA than Miami's Jimmy Butler. Let's conscionable accidental he's well-known for baiting radical into getting upset. But let's not absorption connected the atrocious times, let's absorption connected the comic ones.

For example, Butler openly admits helium started his company, Big Face Coffee, successful the Orlando bubble due to the fact that helium was hustling different players retired of money. He had a high-end espresso instrumentality successful his country and helium knew players had a batch of per diem wealth but constricted places to usage it. He charged $20 a popular but lone due to the fact that his program of charging $100, arsenic successful "big face" Ben Franklin, failed.

Well helium deed a full caller level with his preseason determination to travel to media time with extensions successful his hairsbreadth and his look shaved. Just look astatine this representation (above). He knew these pictures would beryllium utilized for the remainder of the play successful promotional materials and arsenic clip passes, the look lone seems much outrageous.

Butler chopped his hairsbreadth wrong hours of media day's photograph sessions ended and the facial hairsbreadth is back. And each clip nationalist TV ads for Heat games amusement up oregon his caput changeable is used, the trolling lone grows.