Mike Krzyzewski knows a thing or two about building teams at Duke and with USA Basketball, so when he praises a team’s moves it’s worth listening to.
And he’s clearly impressed with what the Los Angeles Lakers have done in free agency.
The champs have picked up Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder and all three of them will help.
One concern the Lakers have to have though is age as LeBron James is going to be 36 in a few weeks and while he’s a freak of nature, that’s a lot of mileage. His decline could be sharp and sudden, or injuries could kick up. You just have no certainty at 36.
And Gasol is 36 in January.
They could both be great. Gasol could be “rejuvenated,” to use Coach K’s term. We just wouldn’t count on a long run from either guy.
They have six guys on the roster over 31 although Quinn Cook is still listed and he’s been waived. So we’ll have to see who is on the roster in December.
And that’s another problem for LA: there’s no meaningful break this year because of the pandemic.
It’s not going to be as easy at it looks.
He also praised what the Pelicans have done and in that case, it’s the exact opposite: the Pelicans are overwhelmingly young. They have a chance to mature into a group that will compete for titles for a decade or more.