A basketball fans perspective

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"Take a flyer"

The headline simply implies one is willing to take a chance, the issue could be lucrative, in addition it could blow up in your face. That’s the dilemma I see for the Lakers and the Mitchell Robinson free agent talk. If the Lakers sign him it could result in a championship run, on the other hand based on his injury history it could prove to be an issue. In all likelihood according to owner James Dolan the Knicks intend to remain competitive without exceeding their recommended cap.

As for Robinson the Knicks are not going to re-sign him despite his contributions during their NBA championship run. The talk of him heading west and to the Lakers is bothersome to me and in a rare instance this time it’s got nothing to do with money. Truth is there are so many questions for me regarding Robinson becoming a Laker, as I wrote recently I’ve followed his basketball journey since his high school days in Louisiana. Robinson appears to be the last of the good guys, he performs his role in the manner his coach desires. As for the issues, check this out below.

1. He’s been a reserve player throughout his brief NBA career. 

2. Robinson is the poorest free throw shooter in the NBA, “Hack-a-Mitch” has become common.

3. A injury history, Robinson has missed parts of seasons throughout his NBA career.

4. He’s got an exceedingly high foul rate.

There is more to the story

Anytime conversation surrounded the Big 12 it was said; “Yes, Roy Williams, Bill Self and Kansas basketball.” It was domination of the conference, I’m unsure of the number without looking it up, Kansas won the regular conference season maybe 7 or 8 consecutive times. During that period, the school sent a number of players into the NBA, that was then, this is now, domination of the conference has changed. Kansas basketball remains just as viable, as evidence the 2026 draft saw Darryn Peterson chosen as the second best player in the recent NBA draft. In addition note the top high school prospect in the Class of 2026 Tyran Stokes will attend Kansas in the fall. Counting last season and this one the top potential talent in the nation both years said, “I’m choosing Kansas,” but that’s only part of the story.

For maybe the third season in a row Bill Self’s squad managed to finish out of first place in the conference. Two more recent developments changed the landscape: current Big 12 schools hired coaches who recruited aggressively, helping redirect many of those programs. The second, adding additional competitive schools to the conference, Arizona, Houston and others arrived with aggressive basketball programs. The proof as they say is in the production, catch this next portion out. You need go no further than check out the first round of the 2026 NBA draft. 9 of the first 30 players chosen came from Kansas, BYU, Arizona, Iowa State and Baylor. Based on my area of the nation I read and heard plenty of comments from Jayhawk Nation. A number of the Kansas faithful fail to take into account the basketball is as driven as its always been, the overall balance of the conference has become so much better than once existed in the recent past.

Guardians of the Galaxy

In keeping  with the alien theme a.k.a. Victor Wembanyama that’s where the headline came about. It was clear watching the finals the Spurs lost due to no Wemby being on the floor at times. Allow a further explanation, they were losers due to little backup for Wemby. The Spurs have attempted to address the issue in the defensive and offensive areas. With pick 20 in the first round of the NBA draft they chose Jayden Quaintance from Kentucky, he’s a 6-foot 9 253 pound bruiser. Quaintance blocks shots, rebounds the ball and can score baskets when called on. There is a downside to his story, there is a question on surgery which might prevent him from play until late January.

As this is written that is an unknown for now so we must adopt a wait and see on this development. In that same round and pick 26 the Nuggets chose 6-foot 11 260 pound Tarris Reed Jr. from UConn, his draft rights would be conveyed to the Nuggets in a trade. Reed Jr. has a better offensive game than Quaintance however he knows the defensive side of the court playing for UConn coach Bobby Hurley. A bit of irony, Quaintance wears number 21, he indicated the Spurs said no way are we issuing that jersey number to you. A short time later I realized that number belonged to All-Time Spurs great Tim Duncan. There were two additional picks however I wanted to profile the two early picks. I believe they were selected based on the outcome of the 2026 NBA Finals and the fact the Spurs aspire to get advance their game. Of course the only method is to surround Wemby with more physical talent.  

Remain unchanged and lose your place

The news indicate the Lakers have begun negotiations with LeBron James. He’s only one of several off season issues the team faces. It’s not all doom and gloom, the Lakers won their playoff series against the Rockets. Later they would succumb to the youth and athleticism of the Thunder and you heard it from Magic Johnson. “Lakers great Magic Johnson says the team needs to become younger and more athletic in order to compete for the NBA championship.”

For me that says move on from LeBron despite his value to the Lakers but there is more. As this is written there are only two “keepers” (besides Dončić) in my view, it’s okay if you disagree with my assessment. I foresee Rui Hachimura especially based on his playoffs (17.5 ppg & 56.9% from three) and Jaxson Hayes earning positions. If you’ve read me for a time you are aware I wasn’t sold on Hayes after his prior season, his backup work plus his improved paring with Dončić says keep me. I’d love for Austin Reaves to return but based on his asking price can the Lakers afford him? Deandre Ayton in the post makes my list for a different reason, his up and down play all season is a serious concern for me. When he was good he was very good….when he was bad….no need to go any further.

If the Lakers are to compete they certainly require more than three players on the roster however Dončić, Hachimura and Hayes are the only guarantees for me. I forgot that there would be a fourth on the roster, the rookie chosen on draft night. On draft night Cameron Carr was selected, a day later the Lakers managed to sign a number of undrafted athletes. Truth be told that most of them for Summer League play, a few will divide their time between the G-League and parent club. The early indications are they are athletic and defensive minded, what does that say? I have no idea at this point who stays and who goes, looking strictly at the age question they are definitely younger, are they more athletic is yet to be determined.