With all of the buzz and excitement surrounding the Lakers this preseason, some of us seem to have forgotten a very important aspect of the preseason: roster cuts. We knew going in that not all of our very lovable team was going to make it to opening night, but some of us (myself included) liked to live a lie that we would be able to see all 19 members of the team suit up against the T’Wolves. Well, it’s time to sober up. I’m going to attempt to determine who the team will keep around, and who will have to find another place to call home.
First, I want to make a list of all of the guys that will make the team for sure.
PG: D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson
SG: Lou Williams
SF: Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Anthony Brown
PF: Brandon Bass, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr.
C: Roy Hibbert
There shouldn’t be any surprises there, as all of them have guaranteed contracts and are playing well. That leaves nine guys to sort through, and this is where things get a little tougher to determine.
One of the guys that I think will be cut, and soon, is Jabari Brown. Jabari joined the Lakers late in the season last year because of several different injuries to guys on the roster. He performed well in the role he was given, but so far in the preseason he has under-performed.
The second player that I think will be cut is Metta World Peace. This one hurts because of all of the great memories that Metta has with the team. But with the youth movement that the team appears to be on, I don’t think they will keep him on the active roster. I hope that the front office offers him a spot as a member of the training staff so that he can spend more time with Randle , but he shouldn’t be taking minutes from a young player who needs game time to develop his skills.
As fans, everybody has a favorite player. Some people love Kobe, others love Russell, and a select few fans love Robert Sacre. However, it seems that Sacre has reached his potential ceiling and there just isn’t enough talent there to keep around. Because of that, Sacre is one of the guys that I think will miss the cut this year. I don’t think he will have any problems finding a spot on another team and he may even find a really good fit for himself.
The final player that I think will be cut is Jonathan Holmes. While I think he has an incredible upside and could be a fantastic role player after development, he is currently losing the battle with Ryan Kelly. All of us knew coming in to the preseason that Ryan Kelly would have to perform at his finest to make the team, and as of right now he is. Kelly also has prior experience with the team and a guaranteed contract, and that might just be the difference.
With all of the above cuts in place, the roster will look something like this:
PG: D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson
SG: Lou Williams, Marcelo Huertas, Michael Frazier
SF: Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Anthony Brown
PF: Julius Randle, Brandon Bass, Larry Nance Jr, Ryan Kelly
C: Roy Hibbert, Tarik Black, Robert Upshaw
I expect to be wrong about some, if not all of these, but this is my humble take on what I have seen so far this preseason. The decision is obviously up to Byron Scott and the front office, and the only thing that the rest of us can do is speculate and watch highlights.
