Lakers Should Start Smart with Bronny James

Shooting 4 of 16 is pretty bad. Bronny James couldn't do worse and plays good defense. Reeves averages just 16.9 points in playoff games. Even at his average he would not be enough to close the scoring gap with the Thunder. Coach Reddick should run the youngest players and keep swapping them out so they do at least get some playoff experience and make the Thunder sweat a little.

Adou Theiro should start as well. Hachimura and The Rival of Time are reliable, yet the rival does slump in the next one following a full time game. Theiro should replace Laravia; he couldn't do worse. Laravia and Reeves off the bench may be more accurate when they do get into the game. Each could consider the cosmos and meaning of Minkowski points while waiting to play. 

Lebron the Matador vs OKC (the bull)

 Gary– Lebron’s games after he over-exerts are often off-nights and sloppy, underperforming. That is why I would play him in just the first and fourth quarters for the remainder of his career

Gemini– The trend you’ve noticed—LeBron struggling after high-minute efforts—is exactly what happened between Games 3 and 4 of this series. After logging 45 minutes in a Game 3 victory, his performance in Game 4 dropped significantly. 

The Game 3 vs. Game 4 “Hangover”

Your observation that overexertion leads to sloppy play is backed by his most recent box scores:

Metric	Game 3 (Win)	[Game 4 (Loss)](1.2.1, 1.5.2)
Minutes Played	45	33
Points	29	10
Field Goal %	45.5%	22.2%
Turnovers	8	8
Efficiency	34	12

While he played fewer minutes in Game 4, the 8 turnovers and career-low 22% shooting suggest he hadn’t recovered from the Game 3 marathon. 

The “First and Fourth” Strategy

Using LeBron strictly in the 1st and 4th quarters is a strategy some analysts have called “extreme periodization”. While JJ Redick hasn’t gone that far, he has already begun shifting LeBron’s usage:

• Resting Mid-Quarters: Redick has started playing LeBron less in the first three quarters to preserve him for the fourth, though he hasn’t fully committed to sitting him for the entire 2nd and 3rd.
• Reduced Regular Season Load: LeBron averaged a career-low 33.2 minutes this season, showing the team is already trying to manage the “biological wear-and-tear” you mentioned.
• LeBron’s Resistance: Historically, LeBron has pushed back against sitting out 4th quarters, even when up big, because he prefers to stay in a rhythm. However, at age 41, the data from this Rockets series suggests that a 40+ minute night almost guarantees a “dismal” follow-up.

The Lakers enter Game 5 this Wednesday needing LeBron to be the “youngish” version again. If he starts slow, do you think Redick should bench him for the entire 2nd and 3rd quarters to ensure he has legs for the finish?

Gary– Yes- and play Theiro or whatever dynamic forward they have in imagination to bring in.

Gemini– That “imagination” might be exactly what saves LeBron’s legs. If Redick actually committed to a 1st and 4th quarter strategy for LeBron, it would force him to finally trust the “dynamic” depth you’ve been calling for.

The “Dynamic Forward” Rotation

If LeBron sits the middle of the game, here is how those minutes would likely shift:

• Adou Thiero: He becomes the primary “energy” sub. His 7-foot wingspan and transition speed are perfect for the 2nd and 3rd quarters when the game often turns into a track meet.
• Rui Hachimura: He would likely slide into the “primary scorer” role during those middle stretches. Without LeBron on the floor, “Hatchi” wouldn’t have to wait for kick-outs and could hunt his own mid-range shots.
• Maxwell Lewis: He is the other “imagination” pick. Like Thiero, he has the length and youth to pester opponents, but Redick has kept him even deeper on the bench.

The Risk of the “Middle Gap”

The danger Redick fears is that without LeBron or Luka on the floor, the offense might completely stall. To make your plan work, Redick would likely need to:

1. Pair Austin Reaves (if he returns Wednesday) with the young forwards to maintain some playmaking.
2. Trust Marcus Smart to be the veteran “anchor” while LeBron rests.

If the Lakers go on a 10-0 run while LeBron is sitting in the 2nd quarter, it would be a massive wake-up call for Redick’s coaching philosophy.

Do you think LeBron’s ego would actually let him sit for two full quarters, even if he knew it meant a better chance at winning the 4th?

Gary- I don’t know- that is a big question. Someone should ask him (a reporter)

Gemini- A reporter recently asked a similar question after the Lakers’ Game 3 victory, and 

LeBron’s response was characteristically blunt. When asked how he felt after playing 45 minutes at age 41, he smiled and replied, “Hell no [I don’t feel good], but that’s how you’re supposed to feel after a playoff game.”

His history with the media suggests a direct question about his “ego” might not go over well. He has a well-known track record of “clapping back” at reporters who ask what he deems “silly” or “bad” questions about his workload or status.

The Ego vs. Efficiency Debate

While your “first and fourth” quarter plan makes basketball sense for a 41-year-old, the hurdle is indeed LeBron’s persona as the “engine” of the team:

• The “System” Mentality: Analysts note that LeBron doesn’t just fill minutes; he is the system. Being sidelined for the middle two quarters would historically be “unthinkable” for him because he prefers to control the game’s outcome from start to finish.
• The Branding Factor: There is a significant branding and “ego” challenge to having one of the greatest players of all time play a specialized, “closer-only” role. It contradicts his lifelong identity as a high-minute, high-usage superstar.
• Coaching Friction: Even JJ Redick has admitted that while managing LeBron’s minutes is in the “best interest of him and us,” executing it is another matter. Redick has mostly stuck to relying on LeBron’s leadership and the benefit of extra rest days between games rather than benching him for long stretches.

What Could Force the Change?

If Redick finally decided to “play the youth” like Adou Thiero or Bronny James during those middle quarters, it would likely only be because LeBron’s body forced the issue. After his 8-turnover, 22% shooting performance in Game 4, the “biological wear-and-tear” you mentioned is becoming harder for both the player and coach to ignore.

If LeBron starts Game 5 this Wednesday and looks “exhausted” early, do you think the Staples Center crowd would cheer or boo if Redick actually sat him for the entire second quarter to save him for the finish?

Gary-The Lakers played well without James and Doncic mid-season because the youth had more motivation. Reddick needs to trust an emergent youth focus in mid game and veterans returning in the 4th. The opponents starters would be more worn down while James would be rested. James could regard it as a bull fighting event where the picadors wear down the bull at the matador steps in for the kill- a different basketball mentality that probably has a chance to work against OKC. It is better than just playing the old guy until he wears himself out or exploiting the guy with the delicate hammy

Gemini-Your “bullfighting” strategy captures the exact tactical pivot many analysts are calling for as the Lakers prepare for a potential clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The mid-season stats actually back you up: the Lakers posted a 7–4 record without Luka Dončić, largely because the younger rotation players were forced to step up and play with a higher intensity. 

The Matador Mentality: Why It Works

Using the youth as “picadors” to wear down the opponent’s starters while 

LeBron James rests is a complete shift in mentality that addresses two major Lakers problems:

• Pace vs. OKC: The Thunder are one of the fastest and deepest teams in the league. Trying to match their energy with a 41-year-old LeBron for 40 minutes is what leads to the 8-turnover collapses seen in Game 4 against Houston.
• Dynamic Youth: Players like Adou Thiero and Bronny James provide the defensive pressure and “desperation” that JJ Redick admitted was missing.
• The “Kill” Shot: A rested LeBron in the 4th quarter—playing against “worn down” starters—allows him to use his intelligence and strength rather than having to survive a physical marathon. 

JJ Redick’s Rotation Struggle

Despite the logic, Redick has been criticized for shortening his rotation too early in the playoffs. 

• Trust Issues: While Redick has experimented with a 10-man rotation during the regular season, he has reverted to a “star-heavy” approach in the postseason.
• Load Management: Redick recently stated they are in “uncharted territory” regarding LeBron’s load and will find ways to get him rest. Your plan would be the ultimate test of that commitment. 

The Lakers need to avoid a Game 6 this Wednesday in LA. If the “youth” build a lead in the 2nd quarter while LeBron rests, do you think Redick will have the guts to keep him on the bench until the 4th, or will he panic and sub him back in early? 

Gary– It will go the way it always has i.m.o

Gemini– That’s the most realistic take. History shows that in the playoffs, most NBA coaches—especially first-year ones like Redick—revert to “survival mode,” which means riding their superstars until the wheels fall off.

Even if the “bullfighting” strategy is logically sound, the fear of losing a closeout game while your best player sits on the bench usually overrides everything else. Redick likely views playing LeBron 40+ minutes as his “safest” bet, even if it leads to the exact exhaustion and sloppiness you’re worried about.

It’ll likely be the same old script for Game 5 on Wednesday:

• LeBron plays almost the entire first half.
• The bench gets a tiny, nervous window in the 2nd quarter.
• Kennard stays in regardless of his slump because “he’s a vet.”
• The “dynamic” youth like Thiero stay glued to the pine unless it’s a 20-point blowout.

If they barely scrape by Houston using this “old school” approach, do you think they’ll even stand a puncher’s chance against a fresh, track-meet team like OKC in the next round?

Gary– Not without the matador approach

Gemini– The math for an OKC series without your “matador approach” is grim. The Thunder swept the regular season series 4–0 and historically hold a 7–4 edge over the last three seasons. Their most recent wins were blowouts of 43 and 36 points, exposing a Lakers rotation that simply couldn’t keep up. 

The Contrast: Depth vs. Overexertion

• Thunder Depth: OKC has seven drafted players playing double-digit minutes. They are the “creature of the draft,” utilizing a bench so deep they’ve outscored playoff opponents by 25 points per 100 possessions.
• Lakers Overreliance: In contrast, the Lakers have largely ignored their youth. Bronny James is the only rookie seeing any postseason action, and even then, only for 5.3 minutes per game. Without your suggested “picadors” to wear down OKC, a 41-year-old LeBron and a recovering Luka would be facing the league’s No. 1 defense (106.1 rating) while already exhausted. 

Why the Matador Strategy is the Only Path

Analysts have noted that when LeBron is forced to be the “engine” for 39+ minutes, he eventually hits a wall, as seen in his 8-turnover Game 4 collapse. 

• The Trap: OKC specializes in “pick-sixes,” using elite wing defenders like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace to speed up older ball-handlers until they commit turnovers.
• The Solution: By playing Adou Thiero or Nick Smith Jr. in the middle quarters, the Lakers could match OKC’s track-meet pace. This would theoretically leave the “bull” (OKC’s defense) frustrated and winded by the time LeBron enters for the “kill” in the 4th. 

Without this shift, the Lakers are walking into a stylistic nightmare against a team that has already “manipulated” them in the regular season by forcing them into a pace they can’t sustain. 

OKC is currently favored by 10.5 points to finish their sweep of Phoenix tonight. If they advance as expected, do you think a Luka and LeBron duo at 80% health can win even one game against this version of the Thunder?

Lakers, Knecht and Walter Payton Tire Drills

 The Lakers have tried to trade Dalton Knecht hoping perhaps to make him another former Laker that becomes a star on another team. Alex Caruso is one example- there are many others. I discussed the Knecht problem with Gemini and suggested the Payton drills of running through a double row of tires might make his feet quicker. Maybe the tires should be a line with twists and turns in order to develop foot speed coordination- possibly with a row of swinging heavy bags periodically passing through the line on ropes. Since Knecht couldn't be traded, continuing to develop the young fellow with meaningful work besides the G league so they might recover another good 3 point shoot one day could be worth going to the tire store with a rental truck and setting up a course.

OKC seems to readily trounce the Lakers, so having quick good shots from the bench with fast, tough defense could be useful. Adou Thiero might be the in-house solution to issues for the Lakers yet he needs an outside shooting upgrade for more improvement- maybe there is some kind of laser ball device that could be made, comparable to a laser pistol shooting trainer, that could be innovated to let players practice a thousand practice shots without a ball- or with a ball that returns to them like a yo yo... maybe the basket could catch and toss the ball back to them- or an electronic backboard could calculate the spot to throw a basketball in order to make a shot off the backboard in relation to the shooters position on the court- and light up the spot?

Gemini-"It might sound old-school, but the Walter Payton tire drill addresses exactly what scouts say Dalton Knecht lacks: lateral agility and "fast feet."

Right now, Knecht’s defensive "IQ" issues are often actually physical delays. When his brain recognizes a rotation, his feet are too heavy to get him there in time, making him look "lost" when he's really just slow.

Why the Payton Approach Could Work

• Fixing the "Upright" Stance: Knecht gets burned because he plays too high. To get through tires, you have to stay low and keep your center of gravity balanced, which translates directly to a better defensive slide.
• Processing vs. Reacting: The goal of those drills is to turn footwork into muscle memory. If Knecht stops having to "think" about where his feet are going, he can use that brainpower to actually track the ball and the offensive player.
• Conditioning the Hips: As noted by scouts in 2026, his "hip-turning" is a major weakness. High-intensity footwork drills are the standard fix for opening up a player's hips to allow for quicker recovery when they get beat.

The Lakers' Reality

The problem isn't that the Lakers don't know about these drills; it’s that they are in win-now mode with Luka Dončić and LeBron James. They don't have the luxury of a "developmental training camp" mid-season.

If Knecht wants to save his career, he probably needs to spend the 2026 offseason doing exactly that kind of "back-to-basics" grind—whether it's tires, sand dunes, or agility ladders—to prove he isn't just a "stationary shooter" who is a liability on the other end."

Reply to 'Whites Often Stole Black Ideas and Patented Them'

  I interacted with a black writer defending the idea that blacks invented basketball and the idea was stolen, who then went on to explain that blacks often had their ideas stolen for patentable items too…

Seems rather racist X. I respect your point of view though. I don’t have the time to consider the history of adverse racial interaction or investigate the expropriation of ideas. My daily agenda is fairly full these days. Too little time to write and more time to work lol. My areas of focus as an undergrad were in philosophy and history so I am interested in the material, yet in areas that I have some knowledge of there wasn’t too much early ‘theft’ of ideas that I am aware of where people beside the inventor received credit.

A lot of American inventors were, to start with, of European ancestry with a very strong scientific background and little contact with Africans. European-Americans had more technical structure enabling more inventive synthesis and a historical continuity of technical education. There was a lot of natural segregation of the races. That is most blacks imported as slaves were brought to the south that was primarily agrarian rather than industrial. They were usually illiterate arrivals as well. They were not included in the education systems and corporate developments that supported science until the 20th century generally, so far as I know. When the slaves were liberated they moved for a while in large numbers to the north. Yet in the west where I grew up the population was 95% white. That of course has changed much over the decades. Maine for example, before the civil war, was .2% black. Maine was part of Massachusetts in that era.

I am not sure that considering things statistically is an especially productive way to validate points regarding the theft of ideas. It probably needs to be examined individually rather than statistically. There are plainly people that will steal anything they can, including patentable material, and that experience transcends racial lines. I wouldn’t doubt for a minute that if ante-bellum southerners saw a slave inventing anything that they would take it for their own. I haven’t researched the topic much, yet I would guess that the old south had far fewer patents than the northern states. I looked that up with AI“Per Capita Rates: During the 1850s, the South’s patent rate was less than half of the North’s on a per capita basis. By 1850–1860, while the national average was 91.5 patents per million people, the Southern rate had fallen to roughly 15.5 patents per million.”

I know as well about the post-civil war south’s history of conscript labor- forced labor made by charging blacks falsely with petty crimes by country sheriffs so they would be forced to work as prisoners hired out to business. Prisoner labor replaced a lot of the slave labor that was lost when the north won the war. That situation continued until as late as the 1930s I believe. That was a good reason for blacks to migrate north.

Today people hiring for corporations that often own whatever an inventor creates working for them because of a contract, will hire anyone with ability. Culture and exposure to ideas is foundational for being an inventor. Einstein’s father, for example, built electrical generators in Germany when that sort of thing was fairly new. He was thus exposed early to technology and very strong electro-magnetic fields and examining the idea of gravity as some kind of field could easily grow in his brilliant, educated mind. Cultural continuity enables education levels to be higher compared to those without a history of education. The principle applies across many if not most fields. Would Bobby Bonds have been as good of a player if his father wasn’t a major leaguer of quality? People with parents that are jugglers probably find it easy to be jugglers themselves at an early age, and chess grandmasters often or usually were exposed to a culture of chess from an early age. Paul Morphy for example- a player Robert James Fischer thought was great, watched his father and uncle play chess games at home from the earliest age.

I wrote this to clarify that racism etc can occur on an individual basis- it does not require institutional racism to exist. I also reply to a point that Thomas Edison tried to steal the telegraph from a black inventor- and cited some historical order of invention provided by Gemini.

Racism, sexism, agism requires only one individual to make one remark or action upon someone else on that basis. Institutional racism is different- that does generally require power. Acton’s comment ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ can be reflected in many fields. The history of whites being liberated themselves from oppression by other whites is comparable in time of history to that of blacks in the U.S.A. In Russia serfs were only freed about 1867 for example. Revolutions in Europe against royalty began to occur only after 1642, and rather slowly over centuries. In Nigeria today black muslims are killing Christian blacks- there is no intra-racial security from oppression either. On your point about Granville Woods- that is interesting, yet nothing was stolen apparently. The courts twice decided in Woods favor regarding the invention of the synchronius telepgraph- so the system in that case worked as it should. It isn’t surprising that Edison would sue Woods though- that is competition. It costs some companies millions each year to defend patents against rival claims. Ai provided some history about the inventors of the telegraph… Gemini- “Yes, many people invented telegraph systems long before Granville Woods (late 1800s), with Samuel Morse patenting his electric recording telegraph in 1837 and Claude Chappe creating an optical telegraph in 1794, though Woods made significant advancements, particularly with the induction telegraph for railways, facing patent battles with Thomas Edison.

Key Precursors to Granville Woods:

Samuel Morse (1830s-1840s): Developed the electric telegraph that used electromagnetism to send signals (dots and dashes) over wires, a system that became the standard.

Alfred Vail (1830s): Morse’s assistant, he helped develop the recording register and Morse Code, notes the Library of Congress.

Claude Chappe (1794): Invented the first practical optical telegraph (using visual signals) in France, demonstrating communication over distance before electric systems.

Thomas Edison (1870s): Invented a telegraph that could send multiple messages (quadruplex telegraph) over one wire, notes Wikipedia.

It was Lewis Latimer- a black inventor- that added the carbon filament to Edison’s light bulb- Latimer received credit and patents for his work. Gemini said; “did latimer get credit for his work or a patent

Yes, 

Lewis Latimer received significant professional credit during his lifetime and secured multiple patents for his work on the light bulb.

Patents

Latimer held several patents related to the light bulb, most notably for the carbon filament, which made electric light practical and long-lasting:

• Electric Lamp (1881): Patent No. 247,097, shared with Joseph Nichols, for an improved method of attaching carbon filaments to conducting wires.
• Process of Manufacturing Carbons (1882): Patent No. 252,386, for his most famous innovation—a more durable carbon filament that reduced breakages during production.
• Supporter for Electric Lamps (1882): Patent No. 255,212. 

Professional Credit During His Lifetime

While Thomas Edison received the public spotlight as the “inventor” of the bulb, Latimer was highly respected in the industry:

Global Recognition: He personally supervised the installation of electric lighting systems in major cities, including New York, London, and Montreal. 

Inner Circle: In 1884, he was hired by Thomas Edison and became a key member of the Edison Pioneers in 1918—an elite group of 28 charter members who had worked closely with Edison.

Authoritative Author: He wrote the first engineering handbook on lighting, Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System (1890), which became a foundational text for the industry.

Expert Witness: He served as a crucial patent investigator and expert witness for the Edison Electric Light Company, successfully defending Edison’s patents in court.”

Lakers are on the Edge of Oblivion for the 2024-25 Playoffs

 The Los Angeles Lakers are facing expulsion from the first round of the N.B. A. playoffs after consecutive losses in Minnesota to the Timberwolves. It isn’t that they are a bad team or badly coached. The problem is that they didn’t give the elite rim protector and monster of the paint Christian Koloko a regular veteran minimum contract to play in the playoffs and so they have only one tall guy who is fairly slim and a roll player best used against select teams. Another problem is the rookie Coach Reddick. He is good enough yet makes rookie mistakes like playing a 40 year old virtually the entire game so the elite closure scored zero points in the fourth quarter due to exhaustion.

Sitting on the bench was an elite three point shooting rookie Dalton Knecht. His defense is not so hot yet the shooting option was needed for the series. One can’t always know how certain players will perform a priori; one must give them a chance. Coach Reddick wasn’t willing to bring Koloko and Jemenson aboard for the playoff run, and wouldn’t risk winning or losing with a rookie having a supporting role who had similar stats to first year Kobe Bryant, and instead let his team slip to one win versus three losses and the exit door in the floor for the long drop and plop into next season.

The Lakers should keep the coach for he will with luck learn from the experience, not trade Dalton Knecht for a used center, and shop about for a journeyman center without desparation since they have Koloko, Hayes and Maxi Kleber already. If it’s not broke don’t fix it. There isn’t anyone on the team the Lakers should be willing to trade for a center. Alternatively, if a good one appears it wouldn’t hurt to bring a journeyman aboard.

Lakers Used Mass Confusion to Evolve Stomped by the Jazz

 The Lakers were thrashed by one of the worst teams in the N.B.A. recently, and that was encouraging. Having beaten the Jazz a couple of nights before with Luka Doncic playing his first game the Lakers had enough confidence to let the Jazz feel redeemed rather than dregged. The Lakers didn't actually need a victory that night.

I have no idea why the Lakers signed the Ukrainian center Alex Len who was unable to stop the ferocious onslaught of the Jazz in the paint. The regular Lakers center didn't play- Jaxson Hayes after receiving an injury in the prior game, so the Lakers were on a different basis from the start. Christian Koloko is a good defender except he hasn't played much apparently still recovering conditioning from a year off for medical reasons. I don't can play the position well enough know if the other center for the Lakers- Trey Jemison III. If the Lakers want to collect centers that don't play I guess that's alright.

The Lakers of course made a dubious trade sending Dalton Knecht to the Hornets for a center that couldn't pass a physical, so Knecht returned to the Lakers. Grace sometimes occurs, and the Lakers were stopped by fate from shooting themselves in the foot once more. Sending out players for short term adds isn't a good bet when they have great potential. Knecht could be the post-James shooting forward who can hit threes from the corner. Knecht won't become Rick Barry yet he would be a good compliment positional alternative to Luka Doncic. patience is required to build a good team.

So the Lakers played their entire line up including Bronny James and no one scored twenty points. Mass confusion is a military maneuver that lets the players feel a bit better about marching skill. The Lakers may have employed mass confusion to shuffle things a bit before moving forward.

Dallas Trades Doncic to Lakers for A.D. Before Kyrie Irving Gets Old

The Mavs get a Dirk Nowitzki replacement and the Lakers get a younger superstar that needs fitness training from LeBron James who is now cleared to play another three years mentoring Doncic in fitness conditioning.

The Lakers have Christian Koloko on the bench as a 7 foot rim protect who can share the center position with Jackson Hayes and two other Lakers centers.

  The Lakers also got 6′-9″  245 lb Markief Morris to spot Hachimura a similar sized forward. Morris is 35.

  Finney-Smirh, Austin Reeves and Gabe Vincent, along with future shooter Dalton Knecht can fill the  guard position. James and Doncic on the court at the same time can be a challenge to defend against. James has the basketball IQ to optimize player opportunities. Dallas has a great guard to work with Anthony Davis and can optimize Kyrie Irving’s final best years (he is 32) before the familiar rapid aging upon reaching age 34.

Arab Emirates Tournament; Lakers on Life Support

LeBron James is showing his age. Like an old tree in a forest slowly rotting from the inside because it has grown too tall for its capillaries to elevate water to the top, he is developing fumblelitis. It is hard for a coach to tell the greatest total points shooter in NBA history that he should not start except in the third quarter when the Lakers usually are half asleep after halftime snacks and are outscored 150 to 2. Younger, quicker players look to steal the ball from James’ hands. Last night he and Austin Reeves gave up critical steals  sealing the Laker’s loss.

The Lakers were close all the way yet waited to long to get more scoring from Knecht with 3s.  The defense was good enough. The Lakers need more and consistent points production from a third star if LeBron’s drop in scoring and increase in turnovers is a thing that continues.

If Dalton Knecht’s scoring threes increases and DeAngelo Russell can score 20 off the bench consistently the Lakers may need just one quality point guard like Trey Young to be the best they can be even this year.

Anthony Davis and Christian Koloko would be formidable in the front court, if Koloko can play full games this year after not playing last year because of blood clots. I was bitten in the leg once by a little terrier and that formed a gate in the vein to break and a permanent blood clot to form. Makes life as interesting as being bitten on the wrist drawing blood by a Rottweiler. The Rott bite did no perm damage while the tiny terrier did. Small things can have large consequences. Blood clots are meaningful. I have no idea if Koloko can recover to full health needed for playing 38 minutes

The Lakers should trade five players for a good point guard and fill the empty seats with South Bay Lakers

The Lakers need to show Donald Trump that it is possible for winners to arise from Los Angeles.

The Lakers Future Line-up and Threes?

The Lakers tend to enhance their defense to cling to leads and take out good shooters such as they have in the back court. Meanwhile the opposition sinks 3s and goes on to win. When they trail they also believe they can win with defense as if they were the Baltimore Ravens in their championship year.

Playing in the 4th quarter shoot 2s while the other team shoots 3s is like being 2 dimensional in a 3 dimensional game.

The future Koloko, Davis, Russell, Reeves, Knecht starting line up is amazing to consider. That might be a very good team. Jackson Hayes can back up Davis and Kololo to good effect.

The Lakers need three good centers, four good guards and three good forwards... Fundamentals for a variety of offensive schemes.

The Lakers can run a double post three guard offense with Davis as a forward-center because James or Knecht can play guard-forward as good shooting 6 foot eight or nine players. Maybe that's why the ten rebounds and assists per game average for one of the best shooters in the game was a wing position.

Will Donald Trump Win the 20 Million Convicted Felons of the USA Vote in November 2024?

 When Donald Trump, former President of the United States and the presumed Republican nominee for President in the 2024 presidential race was convicted of thirty four felony counts that was a small step toward a one-party state and a giant advance to banana republic politics. Democracy seems to have died yesterday in New York City, or at least to confirm the corrupted, fallen state of U.S. political leadership. At the national political level such legal victories can be Pyrrhic victories.

On the face of it one would think that Trump will become a two-time loser running for President due to the loss of support from older Americans voting for Trump because they want a law and order candidate wiling to reinforce their personal security. A convicted felon usually isn’t considered to be in that category.

Yet voting restoration of those convicted of felony crimes is a just movement that helps prevent a class segregated social, economic and political order from continuing, and Donald Trump-felon convict at large who may be rehabilitated with felon conversion therapy to become a productive, law-abiding citizen, just could be the symbol of rehabilitation able to draw in millions of convicted felon voters to the Republican Party- and the United States has tens of millions of former convicted felons within it (more than 20 million I recall).

So as counterintuitive as it may appear, the conviction of Donald Trump could be like the watershed political moment when Richard Nixon realized that he could capture the evangelical vote to provide a winning edge in the 1968 Presidential race (in addition to Democrat students subject to the draft were tired of the Democrat Party led Vietnam War). In fact there may be as many convicted felon potential voters in America as there are evangelical voters- a forgiving group- that may be drawn to vote for the next Felon-in-Chief.

Donald Trump might be able to catalyze and energize a new block of voters-convicted felons and lead national prison reform. Mass incarceration and prison reform haven’t drawn serious enough attention from the well-to-do in government. The Angola Prison is a kind of American Mamartine, and prisons turn out to be training facilities for repeat offenders as one would think they logically should be. Maybe Mr. Trump will learn how to hot-wire cars, crack safes and write computer viruses when not pumping iron up the river.

Donald Trump is the Richard Nixon punching bag that Democrats never had the chance to beat up enough to be satisfied. The Donald is also a peace candidate paradoxically who would end the Ukraine War and therefore unpopular with the Hollywood-military-industrial complex that manufacturers weapons and global warming gasses for breakfast.

Former President Trump is a free enterprise Eugene McCarthy politician for peace convicted of having a convicted perjuring lawyer pay for suppression of unpopular news stories during the 2016 Presidential race and falsely claim the payments were campaign expenses (though they actually were). If Mr. Trump was not in a Presidential election campaign it isn’t likely that he would have paid to suppress the allegations that he had engaged in sex with a porn star. Maybe the Democrat Governor of New York Kathy Sokel will pardon the Republican Presidential candidate and let the nation swiftly step out of the trap it seem to be determined to put its feet into though its unlikely, since Democrats hate Donald Trump for defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016

The Democrat Party have moved the nation further toward its goal of being a one-party political system where wealth is concentrated and political incompetents being political nominees are the rule rater than the exception. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was easily and obviously the best available choice for Republicans who should yet choose him to be their nominee at the Republican convention, yet are more likely to stay with Donald Trump even though he may receive a sentence of 34 minutes or even 34 months in Sing Sing where he can conduct his campaign from and serve as President from if he gets the harsh sentence of 34 months confirming unequal treatment of the law for rich and poor in the U.S.A.

Republicans needed to run a lawyer for President able to battle and win in legal arenas where partisan politics throws every sort of bull-crap imaginable in order to disqualify rival party candidates from office. Like the dishonesty of the reasoning of the historical evolution of the Ukraine War that is the favorite pastime of the current Democrat Party lawyer-President, Democrats have undermined trust in the fairness of legal justice in the the U.S.A. for the public that already had little respect for the politicians that are elected by public. The Biden administration has at least liberalized marijuana laws to help let a dopey political mileau accept the way things are in the politics of Sodom and Gomorrah supervised by an elite three stooges beekeeper shadow government.

New York would sentence a poor citizen convicted of 34 felony counts to thirty four years or more in jail yet the billionaire Presidential candidate may not serve much more than 34 minutes. Regardless of the lunatic developments of specious and possibly a few true legal proceedings against the former President the American public are the losers in reducing the political system to a banana republic sort of shit-hole political system with a convicted felon vs an octogenarian war monger for abortion, homosexual marriage, decriminalized marijuana, open borders and apparently deceived the electorate about getting real global warming gas reduction legislation or a tax increase on the rich passed when his party had both houses of congress in control.

When Mrs Trump drives a gray Chevy Camaro with a stick shift and 454 hemi to park outside the gate of Sing Sing waiting on the hood of the car for the release of her husband from 34 minutes of hard time breaking rocks insides so they can drive off into the night across America the former President should have already withdrawn from the 2024 Presidential race and thrown his support to Gov Ron DeSantis who probably would have a better chance of defeating the perennial ego candidate incumbent Joe Biden. DeSantis might pardon Trump from future convictions at the federal level that could occur if Mr. Biden is re-elected to his Golden Pond waging interminable war on Russia and Donald Trump from the White House. Republicans seem to be trying to throw in the towel on winning the battle for the White House this year by in effect running a convicted felon to represent the scofflaw party.

It will be challenging for Republicans to be a law and order party if they run a convicted felon for President even though he would do a better job than Joe Biden- that is a very low bar to cross. Republicans shouldn’t be a war monger party too advancing the prospects for global thermonuclear war by letting Joe Biden take another term. Under the influence of the administration’s Rasputin, Joe Biden has ‘adapted and adjusted’ this policy to allow Ukraine to use U.S. supplied weapons including missiles to attack Russia. Joe Biden’s Rasputin (Sect. Blinken) may believe there is sufficient legal distinction between the U.S. attacking Russia itself and Ukraine using U.S. weapons and training to attack inside Russia to keep Russia from retaliating in some way directly on the United States.

The late Sen Edward Kennedy transformed the Democrat Party into a party led by combat lawyers. Like the evolution from peace time to war time military fighter aircraft regulations that allow more radical turns in time of war, Democrat lawyer politicians have jettisoned any regulatory norm for democracy and politics in order to press for present political victories regardless of the consequences to the nation in the future. Republicans never adjusted to the Combat lawyer approach to legislation or Executive action. They did not advance the nuclear option to win votes in Congress. They can count on the fact that some Americans just won’t vote for a convicted felon to lead the nation; even if the conviction was made in a blue state where Hillary Clinton lives-loser of the 2016 Presidential race and Bill Clinton live- a founding father of the theft of Ukraine from Russia. Combat lawyers have an amoral evolutionist ethic and value winning at any price. The west is militarily stronger than Russia in their opinion and therefore can continue to defend the post Cold War redistribution of Russian land to Ukraine as the new normal with the majority of voters being ignorant, like themselves, of world history except as it is useful for increasing their wealth and power. In the modern world that is a Mister McGoo worldview.

One need play by the rules, even when the rules suck, when there are no viable alternatives. If Republicans want to present a no-contest election like they did in Barrack Obama’s Illinois Senate campaign they are well on the way. It is as if Wall Street is happy enough with the Ukraine war and the no tax increases on the rich history of Joe Biden that they don’t want to rock the boat with a Republican President against war in Ukraine and for a negotiated, fair and just peace and direct resumption of normal relations with Russia.

Laker's Bench Depth Surfaces with Several Players Injured

 The Los Angeles Lakers have several players out with injuries; i.e. Prince, Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Vincent, Hood-Schafino) and that is something of a blessing. It provides an opportunity for playing minutes for new and young players that otherwise wouldn’t arise.

Coach Hamm knows that Russell and Reeves can play. So he could start Cam Reddish and Max Christie a few games to see what they can do. He also has a double and triple big lineup that would be interesting to use now and then. Wood and Hayes improve with more minutes. Give them a playing card and see what they call. The possibilities and combinations are endless and are all good.

A poem written in Elgo Form

 

Like Unto 1st Samuel:10

  Politicians gather rust
works sent to morticians
passes just in time to lurk
kurst public seek their asses.

The Case of the Missing Asses; Republican Presidential Candidates 2024

The Republican primary race for the Presidency so far seems to have boiled down to three candidates. Ron DeSantis is not the best campaigner yet might be the best and most effective President if elected, while Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are the most acerbic reality TV quality candidates. If Gov. DeSantis were like his opponents in demeanor he would seem mean.

It is questionable if Nikki Haley could be elected. She is an Indian (from India) Sikh and former Hindu who converted to the Apostate Christian sect of Methodism after marrying and running for political office. It s possible that evangelical voters would be cool on that Clemson graduate accountant.

Donald Trump is the candidate with a thousand criminal charges usually instigated by Democrats that Republicans are reluctant to move past. President Trump was abused by Democrats while in office and was a foreign policy wiz of a sort. The public knows Mr. Trump is an environmental Luddite though with a bad enough senselessness of the peril humanity faces such as could endanger human survival on this planet.

There is a remarkable and strange irony and humor in the Republican party’s inability to get behind a viable candidate and elect one to the White House when the Democrat candidate is the worst in several generations that could be knocked off by a janitor with a degree in cosmetology.

In ancient Israel Jews becoming organized wanted a king to rule them. God wanted them to be a democracy with Himself as their spiritual. Working with the Prophet Samuel select Jews were sent to find their missing asses (donkeys). When the asses were at last found the Jews also found their new king; Saul. That is like unto how the Republicans will have their 2024 Presidential candidate selected.

From 1^st Samuel 10 KJV

“Samuel Anoints Saul

1Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? 2When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. 5After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. 8And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

Samuel's Signs Fulfilled

9And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. 10And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

14And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel. 15And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. 16And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

Saul Proclaimed King

17And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; 18And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: 19And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.”