Los Angeles Lakers: Will history repeat itself following big trade
By Ed Schrenzel
The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to trade for Anthony Davis. Will history repeat itself in Los Angeles?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” is an oft-repeated quote written by philosopher George Santayana in 1905. How does that apply to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019?
To understand the relevance, let’s look back seven years to summer 2012. Although the public wasn’t yet aware of it, beloved Lakers owner Jerry Buss was fighting a losing battle with cancer. Team President Jim Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak wanted to do everything possible to try to win one more championship. The title would be especially sweet to Jerry because the Lakers would then tie the Celtics for the most won by a franchise, 17.
Seven months earlier, the Lakers had traded for All-Star point guard Chris Paul. But the New Orleans ownership was in shambles, and NBA Commissioner David Stern stepped in and thwarted the efforts of the Lakers front office by voiding the trade.
Kupchak was undeterred, and in July 2012 he acquired a different All-Star point guard, veteran Steve Nash, via trade with Phoenix for two first-round and two second-round draft picks.
Although Nash was 38 years old, he had just completed multiple strong seasons with the Suns in which he was among the league leaders in assists and free throw shooting. Also, he was still an excellent 3-point marksman. His scoring had dropped a bit from his back-to-back MVP seasons of 2005 and 2006, but he still was an outstanding floor leader.
But Kupchak didn’t stop there. A month later, he traded center Andrew Bynum and two reserves, Christian Eyenga and Josh McRoberts, along with what turned out to be two second-round picks to Orlando for Dwight Howard, who was almost unanimously regarded as the game’s best center.
Howard at the time was in the prime of his career at age 27. He had led the league in rebounding in four of the previous five seasons, and had also averaged over 20 points four times. Fans were giddy thinking about him converting alley-oop passes from Nash into slam dunks.
Dwight had one year left on his contract, but he was thrilled to be going to the Lakers and indicated he planned to re-sign with the team the following summer. Nash’s contract still had three years remaining. Although there was some concern about his age, his style of play was more dependent on court savvy than on athleticism, and he worked hard to maintain top physical condition.
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The public was hugely supportive of the acquisitions. Some squawked about how much the Lakers gave up. But the consensus was that the team would do so well that the draft picks wouldn’t amount to much anyway.
In retrospect, that notion was correct. In the Nash trade, the picks were used on Alex Oriakhi, Nemanja Nedovic, Johnny O’Bryant and Mikal Bridges. Oriakhi never played in the NBA while Nedovic had one forgettable season. O’Bryant has played for three teams in four seasons and averaged 11.5 minutes and 3.5 points per game. Bridges had a promising rookie season in 2018-19 and should develop into at least a solid pro.
The draft picks in the Howard acquisition turned out to be Wesley Iwundu, who has had two undistinguished seasons with Orlando, and Rodions Kurucs, who completed a good rookie season this past year with Brooklyn.
The Nash-Howard duo joined superstar Kobe Bryant, outstanding power forward Pau Gasol and veteran Metta World Peace on a loaded 2012 Lakers roster. The team was instantly made the favorite to win the title over the Miami Heat, which featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen.
But a funny thing happened on the way to greatness. In his very first game in a Lakers uniform, Nash bumped knees with an opponent and suffered a fluke nerve injury from which he essentially never recovered.
Once in awhile Steve felt good on the court and flashed his old form, but he couldn’t do so on a consistent basis. He recorded lows in minutes and assists since he became a full-time starter a dozen years earlier in minutes and assists, and played only two seasons and just 65 games for LA before being forced to retire.
Howard had back surgery that summer, and doctors were confident he’d return at full strength. But, in an effort to impress his new team, he probably tried to do too much too soon and was really never himself the whole season. His stats of 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds were good, but they weren’t typical Dwight Howard numbers. As it turned out, he’d never again match the dominance he displayed during his 8 seasons with Orlando.
Just as importantly, Howard didn’t connect well with the fans or with Bryant. He was ill-fitted for the offense preferred by coach Mike D’Antoni, who was hired shortly after the season began.
The Lakers struggled for much of the season. Although they started to click in the second half of the year, and won 30 of their last 46 games to qualify for the postseason, the story would not have a happy ending.
Jerry Buss died in February at age 80 of kidney failure related to his cancer. Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles tendon in the 80th game of the season. In April, LA was swept in the first round of the playoffs by San Antonio. Since then, the Lakers have yet to return to the postseason. And in July 2013, Howard turned his back on the team and signed with Houston.
This history lesson relates to the current Lakers team in the following ways:
1. There were concerns about Steve Nash’s durability when he was acquired at age 38. LeBron James will be 35 this coming season and relies much more on his athleticism than Nash ever did. LeBron is still one of the best offensive players in the game, but his defense has slipped to at best ordinary. He suffered his first notable injury last season and his extraordinary body might be showing some wear and tear.
2. Dwight Howard was seemingly entering his prime years when he became a Laker at age 27, as is recently acquired star Anthony Davis, who is 26 years old. Although he has not needed back surgery as Howard did, AD has suffered numerous relatively minor injuries to many parts of his body, most particularly his shoulder and back. He has averaged just 66 games per year, but that represents only a minor concern. And, oh yes, like Howard, Davis has one year remaining on his contract before he becomes a free agent.
3. None of the draft picks surrendered by the Lakers in 2012 turned into stars, at least not yet, so that may alleviate some apprehension about the picks traded this time around for Davis.
4. The only seemingly important player traded off the Lakers roster in 2012 was Andrew Bynum. But he played just 26 more NBA games before injuries ended his career prematurely. This year’s trade, of course, included three young promising players, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, none of whom has likely yet peaked.
The comparison between the teams is not perfect, but there are obvious similarities. A couple of key differences are that the Lakers of 2019-20 gave up far more in its trade and has far less on its roster, at least right now, than the 2012-13 Lakers did.
History does not always repeat itself. But it does provide lessons from which we all can learn. How this year’s team performs will not be ruled by the way the Lakers flamed out seven years earlier. However, it is wise to be aware of the possibilities.
And because of the comparisons, Lakers fans should probably refrain from buying championship t-shirts, at least for now.