Lakers Roster is No Enigma

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

After an ugly 0-3 start to the 2018-19 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers finally picked up a win last night defeating the Phoenix Suns 131-113.

The Lakers’ struggles have raised plenty of red flags and many NBA fans and experts are still pondering the same question they had during the offseason:

Why would Magic Johnson choose to surround LeBron James with so many controversially polarizing personalities?

Rajon Rondo. JaVale McGee. Lance Stephenson. Michael Beasley.

At first glance, that looks like a squad poised to lead the league in ejections, suspensions and Shaqtin' a Fool nominations.

But according to Johnson, he “watched every [2018 NBA Playoffs] series, so I built this team based on what happened in the playoffs.”

Ultimately, he stacked the roster with excitingly volatile players who would help the Lakers captivate Twitter and dominate media headlines with their unconventional playing styles, combative personalities and flashy highlights.

Johnson sought to maximize TV ratings and jersey sales for James’ first season in Los Angeles while keeping the Lakers relevant amidst the unspoken understanding aound the Association that the Golden State Warriors are heading to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals.

But these controversial free agent signings also serve another purpose.

They protect King James.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

There is no long-term commitment to Rondo, McGee, Stephenson, nor Beasley because they all have one-year deals. Those four guys are essentially competing for one or two roster spots on the playoff-bound 2020 Lakers.

All four players have also been scapegoated to some extent by other teams in the past, so this season marks a genuine opportunity to reenergize their careers and prove they can contribute in a meaningful role while simultaneously earning James’ respect.

James dubbed these four players as “MUD” in an Instagram post, meaning they are “misunderstood, under-appreciated, determined.” With James closely observing, they know this is their chance to earn minutes for the Lakers of the future.

They won’t compete for a championship this season, but they could as soon as next year once Los Angeles signs another All-Star free agent such as Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant.

In the meantime, the locker room is packed with talented but unpredictable players who will serve as perfect scapegoats for Johnson and James to throw under the bus whenever struggles arise.

It will be MUD's fault, not James’, when the Lakers inevitably fail to compete against Western Conference elites this season.

That scapegoating process has already begun for Rondo and Brandon Ingram, who were portrayed as the villains in the brawl with Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets which resulted in suspensions for all three players.

Amidst all that controversy, James completely escaped blame and criticism despite his team’s three-game skid to open the season. Johnson’s plan is working.

Grant Goldberg/Silver Screen and Roll

Johnson is carefully constructing the narrative of James’ Lakers legacy in a manner that influences the media and fans to be patient and forgiving, thus alleviating the pressure on his best player while he simultaneously acquired several of the NBA's edgiest characters.

Having one of these guys on your roster can help you win a championship and Rondo, McGee and Stephenson have already shown early flashes of their intriguing potential as they compete for future minutes.

This is essentially a down year by design with James’ comfort in mind as he acclimates to Los Angeles and embraces his new Hollywood persona as an actor and film producer before next summer when he teams up with other elite players as the NBA landscape drastically shifts.

With Durant, Thompson, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins and other All-Stars ready to enter free agency, the Lakers will have every opportunity to assemble one of the best teams in the league next offseason.

2018-2019 NBA Awards Predictions

The 2018-19 NBA Season is finally here.

Barring any season-derailing injuries, Golden State and Boston likely will face off next summer. Both teams are stacked with elite talent and selfless superstars.

But that doesn’t mean this NBA season won’t be full of surprises. Here’s a look at early predictions for the end-of-season awards.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images North America

Most Improved Player: Pascal Siakam (TOR)

Brandon Ingram could blossom into a premiere scorer this season with new teammate LeBron James commanding the attention of Lakers’ opponents.

But regarding individual improvement, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam will take the biggest step forward in development.

The energetic 24-year-old Cameroonian power forward with a 7’3’’ wingspan earned NBA D-League Finals MVP honors in 2017 before playing in all but one game for Toronto as a sophomore last season.

Surprising quickness for his 6’9’’ frame allows Siakam to defend multiple positions and he has proven to be a proficient passer with terrific ball-handling skills for a big man.

Like Ingram with James, Siakam will greatly benefit from Toronto’s offseason acquisition of MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard.

New Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is expected to utilize a "fluid" starting lineup. In other words, Leonard and Kyle Lowry are the only Raptors locked into starting positions.

Nurse will experiment with Siakam in various roles, including center and point forward due to his unique blend of size, athleticism and court vision.

If Siakam develops a strong rapport with Leonard, his production and playing time will flourish. With pedestrian career averages of 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, continued significant improvement may earn him MIP consideration.

* MIP Runner-ups: Julius Randle (NO), Brandon Ingram (LAL), Jamal Murray (DEN)

- ESPN Expert Panel: Brandon Ingram 

- CBS Expert Panel: Brandon Ingram/Markelle Fultz (PHI)

- Celtic to watch: Jaylen Brown

Stuart Cahill-Boston Herald

Sixth Man of the Year: Terry Rozier (BOS)

This one's a no-brainer for Celtics fans or anyone who beheld Terry Rozier’s transformation last season.

“Scary Terry” is too talented to come off the bench and he knows it. Regardless, he'll serve one final season as Kyrie Irving’s backup in Boston before hitting free agency in 2019.

Contract year motivation aside, Rozier is a proven playmaker on both sides of the ball.

His field goal percentage and stats across the board have climbed exponentially in each of his first three seasons.

All the while, Rozier has established an identity as one of the league’s most fearless defenders.

Rozier’s role this season will be to overwhelm opponents. Boston's powerhouse starting five will exhaust opposing defenses and Rozier (and/or Marcus Smart) will frequently check into games in one of two favorable situations:

1 – Matched up with a defender who is fatigued from having chased Kyrie Irving or bodied Jaylen Brown for the last ten minutes.
2 – Matched up with an inferior backup guard.

Each of these situations allow Rozier to instantly impact games by utilizing explosiveness, tenacity and elite playmaking ability to wreak havoc against opposing backcourts.

Rozier, like Smart, often changes the pace and flow of games with athleticism, passionate play and focused aggression.

It also doesn’t hurt that he models his offensive game after Michael Jordan.

Boston’s opponents simply have too much to worry about this season. Rozier, one of the NBA’s most aggressive guards, will reap the benefits of an offensive game plan designed to exploit opponents’ weakest links.

* 6MOY Runner-ups: JJ Redick (PHI), Lou Williams (LAC), Eric Gordon (HOU)
- ESPN: Eric Gordon
- CBS: Lou Williams
- Celtic to watch: (Also) Marcus Smart

AP Photo/Boston Herald

Defensive Player of the Year: Al Horford (BOS)

Al Horford may not record the block numbers of the last two DPOY winners, but make no mistake: Horford is an elite defender.

He finished fifth in DPOY voting last season and consistently ranked among the league leaders in defensive rating.

But this season, operating as the anchor to a dynamic lineup that will cause nightmares for opponents, Horford will be the leader and driving force behind possibly the best defensive starting unit in the NBA.

At age 32, Horford is past his prime. But don’t forget that Kevin Garnett won the award at age 31 when he led the ’08 Celtics to Banner 17. Horford gets a similar opportunity this season as the centerpiece for the East’s most promising squad.

Look for Horford to lock down the paint and help patrol the perimeter as the defensive leader for the Celtics’ starters. As with Rozier and Sixth Man, Horford’s case for DPOY will fluctuate with the overall success of the team.

* DPOY Runner-ups: Kawhi Leonard (TOR), Rudy Gobert (UTA), Anthony Davis (NO)
- ESPN: Rudy Gobert
- CBS: Kawhi Leonard (TOR)
- Celtic to watch: (Also) Marcus Smart

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Rookie of the Year: Deandre Ayton (PHO)

Slovenian guard Luka Doncic is considered the most NBA-ready rookie after he was named the 2017-18 EuroLeague MVP and then selected third overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Doncic averaged 14.7 points per game in the preseason and takes the reins of the Dallas Mavericks' franchise in what could be Dirk Nowitzki’s final year.

Nevertheless, Deandre Ayton will remind the basketball world why he was selected #1 overall, before Doncic and other talented young players, by the Phoenix Suns this summer.

Ayton has the body and talent to become the most dominant big man since Shaquille O’Neal. His stellar play at the University of Arizona (20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) drew frequent comparisons to David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and other Hall of Famers.

Despite most media predictions favoring Doncic, it was Ayton, the 7’1’’ Bahamian center (wingspan 7’6’’) who was voted most likely to win ROY by his peers in the 2017-18 NBA.com Rookie Survey.

The modern NBA is gradually phasing out the role of the traditional big man, but Ayton battles using well-timed explosiveness and brute force in the paint. He is the best of several young centers looking to spark a resurgence at the position.

Phoenix will probably struggle against fast-paced teams, but Ayton will make the Suns into a formidably gritty team. Their offensive game plan will seek to maximize scoring production from him and Devin Booker.

Ayton will almost certainly average a double-double while producing plenty of highlights as a commanding paint presence for the rebuilding Suns.

* ROY Runner-ups: Luka Doncic (DAL), Mohamed Bamba (ORL), Kevin Knox (NYK)
- ESPN: Luka Doncic
- CBS: Luka Doncic
- Celtic to watch: Robert Williams

Brett Duke-The Times-Picayune

MVP: Anthony Davis (NO)

After quashing past injury concerns by playing in 75 games in each of the last two years, Anthony Davis will continue shouldering the load for the New Orleans Pelicans in his seventh season.

Davis, 25, was my MVP pick last year when he finished third in voting behind James Harden and LeBron James. He also finished third in DPOY voting.

Now working in a faster-paced offense, Davis can build on last season’s averages (28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) while exerting his overall dominance on both ends of the floor.

Arguably the most dynamic big man in NBA history, Davis shot over 53% last season (and career-high 34% from three-point range) while also logging a career-best 1.5 steals per game.

With DeMarcus Cousins gone, Davis is back to operating as the sole focal point of the Pelicans’ offense. New acquisitions Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle will help New Orleans move the ball quicker, allowing Davis more opportunities to overwhelm defenders in transition.

It would only take slight improvement from last season for Davis to average 30 and 12. Those are MVP frontrunner numbers.

* MVP Runner-ups: Giannis Antetekounmpo (MIL), Russell Westbrook (OKC), LeBron James (LAL)
- ESPN: LeBron James
- CBS: Giannis Antetekounmpo/LeBron James
- Celtic to watch: Kyrie Irving

Christopher Evans-Boston Herald

Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens (BOS)

It’s unfortunate that Brad Stevens is still yet to win COY, especially after he led last year’s Celtics to a 55-27 record en route to the Eastern Conference Finals despite injuries to several key players.

Nevertheless, Stevens won’t be overlooked this season when he leads Boston to the best record in the East and their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.

As the best coach with the most talented roster in the conference, Stevens and the Celtics are incredibly skilled at exploiting mismatches. They are the greatest immediate threat to Golden State’s dynasty.

* COY Runner-ups: Nick Nurse (TOR), Quin Snyder (UTA)
- ESPN: Brad Stevens
- CBS: Brad Stevens

Axel Koester-Orange County Register

Executive of the Year: Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson is credited with bringing LeBron James to Los Angeles.

After the Lakers floundered to a 35-47 record last season, Johnson ultimately responded with an immediate influx in talent, wins, ticket sales and overall revenue facilitated by James’ presence.

Plenty of NBA executives are deserving of this award, including Danny Ainge and Bob Myers, who assembled the teams most likely to appear in this season’s Finals.

But even if Golden State and Boston prove dominant as expected, drastic improvement within the Lakers' franchise through the acquisition of James will earn Johnson EOY honors.

* EOY Runner-ups: Bob Myers (GS), Masai Ujiri (TOR)
- ESPN: No Prediction
- CBS: Masai Ujiri
- Celtic to watch: Danny Ainge

Isaiah Thomas Thank You Letter - Boston Celtics Tribute Video

Words cannot describe what Isaiah Thomas means to Boston. Sadly he never got the Celtics tribute video he deserved, so I tried to capture just how much he meant to those fans who loved him the most.

Hopefully this isn’t the last we have seen of IT wearing green.

Thanks for watching!

Letter Transcript:

They say the grass is always greener. But what they really mean is you should appreciate what you have before its gone.
There will never be another Isaiah Thomas.
How could there be? Five-foot- nine. The last pick in the NBA Draft.
And against all odds, you gave us everything.
You never got the tribute you deserved. But you made a city believe.
Isn’t that worth something?
You also carried the Celtics to the top of the Eastern Conference and broke historic Celtics records along the way.
Your edge, your attitude, and your gigantic heart changed the culture.
And it was always IT Time in the fourth quarter.
You reminded us that sports are bigger than what happens on the court. And upon your shoulders, an underrated team rallied around you.
You made Boston your own. You made the Garden your home.
And you went through the wringer, so there will always be love here.
Your restored the Celtics to prominence. You risked your health and your career for us. And you left it all on the court.
Everything you had.
You brought basketball back to Boston.
You made other All-Stars want to come too.
Isaiah, thank you. It was you.
It was always you.

Here's The Truth

USA Today

Basketball nearly died in Boston. And a Lakers fan from Inglewood saved its life.

Paul Pierce did not just prove that we can all better ourselves. He provided the answer to one of life’s most perplexing mysteries:

Are legends born or made?

Pierce’s legacy was forged over the course of 19 tumultuous years, 15 of which he played in Boston.

He did not receive a king’s welcome when he arrived. He was not anointed the savior of the franchise.

Celtics fans made their opinions loud and clear: Pierce is good, but he will never fill Larry Bird’s shoes.

Ironically, Pierce spent his youth rooting against Bird and the Celtics as a fan of Magic Johnson and Showtime.

Little did he know that he would spend his career trying to recreate that level of excellence those legendary eighties Celtics teams had once established.

Faced with unfair comparisons, annual trade rumors, and even a near-death experience in 2000 when he was stabbed 11 times outside of a Boston nightclub, Pierce battled endless adversity.

But through these tribulations, he developed as a player and a person. He recovered from the nightclub assault and played in all 82 games that season, demonstrating true grit and resolve.

As Pierce matured to become the Celtics’ top player and eventually team Captain, his courage and determination was increasingly evident.

Perhaps it was the pressure of carrying the NBA’s most historic team on his shoulders for nearly two decades that helped him transform from stone to diamond.

From selfish to leader. From talent to greatness. From doubt to Truth.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The Celtics were a mediocre team in the nineties. The tragic and untimely death of Len Bias and Bird’s early retirement left them without a capable successor and the team quietly descended into irrelevance.

It was Pierce who led the charge in restoring the Celtics to prominence all while establishing himself as one of the most underrated All-Stars the league had ever seen.

When he brought home Banner 17, Pierce finally succeeded in capturing Boston's heart while exhibiting unconditional love and respect for a city that took too long to embrace him back.

Pierce was there for it all. He was there for the Antoine-Wiggle and for Ricky Davis.

He won a championship with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but also played his heart out alongside Allan Ray and Kevinn Pinkney for the last-place Celtics just one year prior.

He even came within a Kendrick Perkins injury of winning a second championship in 2010.

And through these experiences, Pierce became the beloved face of the NBA’s most decorated franchise.

Growing up, I loved listening to my father's descriptions of great moments in Boston sports history. From “Havlicek stole the ball,” to Bobby Orr’s flying goal celebration, to Carlton Fisk waving his World Series home run into the left field foul pole.

Throughout these stories, one thing was always crystal clear: Boston is an amazing sports city where anything is possible.

And thanks to Pierce, an entire generation of Celtics fans has uniquely emotional sports memories to pass down to their children.

From the wheelchair game, to countless game-winning shots and unforgettable championship bouts against Kobe Bryant that revitalized one of the greatest rivalries in sports, Pierce proved to be the greatest clutch scorer Boston had ever seen.

Older fans will assure you that his accomplishments earned him a spot amongst the other Celtics heroes both in their minds and in the Garden rafters.

But for the fans who grew up with Pierce, his accomplishments will be forever celebrated when we tell our own kids that his raising of the championship MVP trophy as he screamed in exaltation was our proudest moment as Celtics fans.

After today, we will always look up and pay our respects to that #34 in the rafters. And someday we will tell our children just how lucky we were to see him play.

Legends are far from perfect.

They have scars and blemishes. They make mistakes. They fall down, but more importantly they get back up. And when faced with their greatest fears, they find strength in the fires of adversity.

If a kid from Inglewood can grow up to become the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics, then we can all learn to be a little bit better.

Video: 2017-18 NBA Midseason Awards/Most Valuable Player

The 2017-18 Most Valuable Player race in the NBA is shaping up to be a close one. With so many players performing at an elite level, the second half of the season will be crucial in determining this season's MVP.

2017-18 NBA Midseason Most Valuable Player Rankings

5 - Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)

4 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

3 - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)

2 - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)

1 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)

Video: 2017-18 NBA Midseason Awards/Rookie of the Year

Halfway through the Celtics regular season, Jayson Tatum has emerged as a prime candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year.

However, he faces some stiff competition against some of the top rookie performers in recent memory.

2017-18 NBA Midseason Rookie of the Year Rankings

5 - Lauri Markkanen (Chicago Bulls)

4 - Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers)

3 - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

2 - Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)

1 - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)

Video: 2017-18 Boston Celtics Keys to Success

Boston lost Gordon Hayward to open the season, but that has not stopped Brad Stevens from leading the Celtics to one of their best starts in franchise history with stellar play from Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and MVP candidate Kyrie Irving.