EL SEGUNDO HERALD February 4, 2016 Page 3 Deadline May Ensure Top Pick By Adam Serrao The NBA trade deadline is looming! Normally, for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers, that wouldn’t mean much in a season where their team is the worst in the Western Conference and almost in the entire NBA. This year, however, the February 18th deadline has very specific implications. Rather than looking to acquire talent, the Lakers should be looking to ship it out. With veterans like Lou Williams, Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert having been made available on the market, their departure from the team could ensure the preservation of the Lakers top-three-protected pick in this year’s NBA draft. More than halfway through the regular season, the Lakers persist to be one of the most mediocre teams in the entire league. As they continue to trudge along in last place in the Western conference, the team’s priorities have clearly rounded out into form. Primarily, this year is a celebration of the great and extensive career of none other than number 24, the “Black Mamba”, or “Vino” - whose grapes are finally souring to the point where retirement looks like the best option to one of the league’s all-time greatest competitors. Secondarily, this year is about developing the skill-sets of young players on the team like D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and others who hope to one day get the Purple and Gold out of the black and blue cellar that they have been stuck in for what seems like ages now. Naturally, players like Russell, Clarkson and Randle should be safe from the trade deadline unless Jeannie Buss turns into The Godfather and someone makes her a deal that she simply can’t refuse. Other players, however, have become prime candidates to get shipped out of Laker Land to never return in a year where, despite what head coach Byron Scott will tell you, losing is actually a good thing. So, if the Lakers want to lose, the first thing that they’ll have to do is get rid of Lou Williams. I mean, really, where does this guy get off? Coming into Los Angeles after experiencing the impressive year that he had last year in which he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award and almost duplicating his numbers and efficiency. Williams is currently averaging 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 33.2 percent from three-point range. Put him on a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers or even the Chicago Bulls, for instance, and imagine how much better those teams would instantly get. Clearly, his absence from the Lakers lineup would be beneficial to their cause while his presence on a contender could actually help an eager team’s playoff push. In addition to Williams, there is also Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert. Bass, who was brought in at a cheap price, mainly to assist in the learning process of Randle, is only averaging 18 minutes per game but is still putting up quite an impactful 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. The 30-year-old veteran forward could serve as a nice piece off of the bench for a deep team looking for toughness at a cheap price. Hibbert, like Nick Young who is also presumably on the block, will be one of the Lakers harder chips to move at the deadline simply because he won’t offer anything positive to any other team, to put it bluntly. The Lakers took a chance on the big man from the Indiana Pacers, hoping that he would regain some of the skill set that has kept him in the league this long, but clearly what the 7-foot-2 center is best at is taking up space. He does have an expiring contract after this year, which may make him somewhat attractive to certain teams around the league, but expect more calls to come in about Williams and Bass than for Hibbert and Young. The departure of these veterans from the Lakers would serve a two-fold purpose for the team. Firstly, the team’s overall production should go down thus making the chances for the top pick in the draft and the acquiring of the services of LSU standout Ben Simmons that much more possible. Secondly, getting rid of veterans on a team that is going nowhere is only a good thing for the prospects of the young players already on the team. Without Williams, Bass, Hibbert and Young, coach Scott - who for some reason is resisting the opportunity to get the youngsters all the playing time in the world - will be forced to work with and mold his infantile team into the superstars that they will hopefully one day become. More minutes for young players is always better, especially when the only hope that a team has left is of acquiring a draft pick. It’s a sad time in Laker Land when fans should be rooting for their team to lose in order to keep a draft pick that they traded away to the Phoenix Suns in 2012 for Steve Nash. Alas, it is what it is, as they say, and the team’s best strategy at the time being is to lose games and get rid of cagey veterans that make that tactic harder to accomplish. Yes, tanking is fully engaged, though Scott and anyone else in the Lakers front office will deny that fact vehemently. That being said, hopefully, the days of cellar-dwelling are few Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litiga tion 310-540-6000 Lifetime El Segundo Residents *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Brian R. Brandlin • Bruce R. Brandlin • Christopher P. Brandlin Eagles Can’t Slay the Giants shot poorly because of the aggressive style of defensive play of the Vikings. Though El Segundo trailed by ten points heading into the second quarter they never let up. Mike Lynch, just a freshman, wasn’t intimidated by the big crowd or the top ranked team. He helped keep his team in the game with a five foot jumper over the outstretched 6’8” Daniel Schreier to make it 20-15. Defense helped keep the Eagles in the game. Justin Ostler blocked a shot that created a frenzied ovation from the Eagle faithful. Marc Cooper’s block moments later brought a thunderous ovation. Josh Hessing’s 3-pointer made it 26-20 before Samo went on a 6-0 run and led by as many as 14 points before the Eagles went on a run of their on before the end of the first half. Sebastian Hebert buried a long range jumper, Saleia Ahloo’s layup and a steal and layup by Jamal Howard closed out the second quarter and the Eagles trailed 32-26. In the second half the Eagles just were no match and they were outscored 31-15 in the second. For the game the Eagles shot just eight free throws but did sink five of them. Ahloo and Chase Ali-Watkins each scored nine points to lead the Eagles in the scoring column. The Eagles came up short both literally and figuratively against Beverly Hills and fell 56-36. The Normans size, length and speed led to poor shooting by the Eagles and helped cause El Segundo to trail from See Eagles, page 10 See Deadline, page 10 Story and photo by Gregg McMullin The El Segundo boys’ basketball team has had a rough go in their first two seasons of being in the Ocean League. Last season no less than four players from Lawndale, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills have gone on to play at major Division I colleges. This season Santa Monica and Beverly Hills have reloaded their team with top collegiate prospects. Playing these two teams back to back can be demoralizing but the Eagles kept their composure even if they dropped a 63-41 game to Santa Monica and 56-36 to Beverly Hills. It was like the David versus Goliath fable but in this case the Eagles didn’t have the magic to fall the giants Santa Monica, the top ranked tem in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1A polls, could get a bid to the Open Division Playoffs that starts later this month. The Vikings, who are 19-2 on the year, are big up front averaging 6’5” and that doesn’t include 6’3” UCLA recruit Jonah Mathews, a shooting guard. Beverly Hills starts a front court that averages 6’6” including a pair of potential Division I prospects. So what did the Eagles do? Well, based on their gritty play in both games, they played inspired basketball that had their coach Jason Ito praising them for their play. “Sure we lost but as a team we lost with dignity, pride and we held our heads up afterwards,” he said. Against Santa Monica the Eagles could not get any second chance shots against the Viking’s superior inside play. The Eagles We’ve merged! Expanding what’s possible with money is now (888) 422-2287 . www.abacuswealth.com
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