Page 4 February 23, 2017 Post All-Star Break Questions Loom for Lakers By Adam Serrao There are two ways to look at the regular season that the Los Angeles Lakers have put together so far. If you are a realist, then you look at their 19-39 record heading into the All-Star Break, shrug your shoulders and say, “Well, at least they’re better than last year.” If you’re a real fanatic of the team, though, and hold extreme and irrational beliefs, as the definition of the word suggests, then you might expect the Lakers to be competing for the playoffs already. Living in Los Angeles isn’t easy, and neither is being a bad Lakers team that resides just steps away from Hollywood and is still ranked second on a list of value franchises inside of the NBA. For that reason alone, the Lakers have a lot of work to do after the All-Star Game that has easily distanced itself from most of the players and personnel within the organization. If, as a fan, you’ve come into this year expecting the Lakers to make it into the playoffs, it is time to change your reality. The Lakers are one of the youngest teams in the league--but despite their inexperience, there is still a lot to look forward to as long as expectations can be tempered. As the team drops further and further out of contention in the Western Conference, the opportunity for the Lakers’ young guns to play will become even greater. No, that’s not just D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram either. A season that is lost should also mean increased playing time for youngsters who have the potential to make an impact in coming seasons like Ivica Zubac, Larry Nance, Jr. and maybe even Tarik Black. Along with that should come more time on the pine for Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, who both hit the lottery when Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and/or part-owner Jim Buss decided that they would be good additions to the team. If D’Angelo Russell is ever going to be a top-flight point guard in the league, the post-All-Star Break stretch run should finally see the 20-year-old come into his own. With virtually no pressure on his shoulders when he takes the court each night, it shouldn’t be a stretch to want to see Russell average close to 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds each night. Likewise, 19-year-old Brandon Ingram’s playing time should go up as the youngster transitions into a league with an 82-game schedule and professionals who all weigh over 200 pounds (unlike his 6’9”, 190-pound stature). Ingram needs to gain endurance if he ever wishes to make it back to All-Star Weekend, only next time as a starter. Despite the team’s inability to, well, be good…the Lakers still give their fans something to root for every night. Yes, a 137-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns--a team that owns the worst record in the Western Conference—last Wednesday night does stand out like a sore thumb, but therein lies the point. It would be much more difficult to be a fan of the Dallas Mavericks, for instance, who will likely miss the playoffs this season yet still receive a draft pick that is outside of the top 6-10 overall. Laker fans, on the other hand, can root for their team to lose every single game while still being somewhat competitive. That gives the Lakers the best chance to receive its topthree protected pick in what is sure to be a loaded draft this summer. The basketball season is one that is long and trying and will eventually wind up with a rematch of a rematch when the Golden State Warriors take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. At least Laker fans can still root for something on a nightly basis as they hope that their team tanks it all the way to the bottom of the standings. I’m not saying that the Lakers lost to Phoenix on purpose, but wouldn’t nine days off sound better than just eight? Either way, if Los Angeles is looking to bolster its future odds of being competitive, then the team must look at trading away semi-valuable assets this year. Lou Williams is averaging close to 19 points and three assists per game for the Lakers. Who wants that when you’re looking to finish the year in last place? The combo guard has consistently kept the Lakers competitive in games that they clearly should have lost this season, jeopardizing the team’s shot at an even better draft pick. Lou has a job to do and a career to keep intact, so how can you blame him? That career may just be better served as a member of the Boston Celtics or Washington Wizards. So, all is good in La La Land, right? The Lakers have already won more games than all of last season and still have a decent shot at a very formidable draft pick. It can’t get much better than that. There is still a lot of work to do on a team that is still years away from competing in a league that only features two dominant teams. As long as the Lakers and their fans remain patient, lose some games and steer clear of any future Timofey Mozgov singings, their moment will come in due time. • Lawndale Soccer Carries Momentum into Playoffs By Adam Serrao It has been a long road toward success for head coach Angel Mendez and his Lawndale High School boys’ soccer squad. A team that is full of young and talented players, Lawndale didn’t really start clicking until more than halfway through the season. As is usually the case with young teams, chemistry takes time to formulate. Once the Cardinals found it, though, there was no looking back. Last Thursday afternoon, Lawndale continued moving forward as it took on the Garden Grove Argonauts in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. An electric offense by the young players who have sparked the Cardinals all season long carried Lawndale to a 3-1 victory and into a matchup against Cathedral City in the second round of the playoffs this week. The Cardinals’ success late in the season has been thanks in large part to the play of sophomore forward Mario Perez. Perez was back at it again for Lawndale against the Argonauts as he led his team to a 1-1 tie at the halftime break. That’s when the Cardinals buckled down on defense behind goalkeeper Carlos Barrera. Despite allowing a goal early on in the first half, Barrera and Lawndale were nearly flawless in the second half. A good defense always leads to production on the offensive end. Two more goals for the young, yet experienced Cardinals offense late in the game wound up being the difference as Lawndale cruised to a two-goal win in the first round matchup against the Argonauts. Perez came away with player of the game honors--not only securing one of the team’s three goals on the afternoon, but also notching an assist as well. Junior forward Eduardo Casillas also put up one goal and an assist in the victory. Sophomore midfielder Anthony Canseco rounded out the scoring with a goal of his own. A roster that sports one freshman and eight sophomores is now heading into the second round of the playoffs with a full head of steam. “I’ve been telling the guys, ‘It’s not how you start--it’s where you start and where you end,’” Mendez explained of his Lawndale team. The Cardinals may not have begun the season with a start that would have made it into the record books, but they have now officially turned their season around. They have not lost a game since the month of January. If it were up to Mendez, he would keep it that way until the beginning of next season. Lawndale’s quest for a CIF championship continues this week as the Cardinals take on the Cathedral City Lions (16-6-3, 8-4). The Lions notched a 3-1 victory against Patriot in the first round of the playoffs last week. Hawthorne High The Hawthorne Cougars soccer team basically switched spots with the Lawndale Cardinals once their sophomore forward and team MVP Oskar Gomez was lost for the season with a torn ligament. The Hawthorne offense clearly took a hit once Gomez was lost to injury, as the team was only able to manage two goals in the final four games of the regular season. Gomez himself was able to score 10 goals in just eight games before he was lost for the year, and Hawthorne’s season went off the deep end in the process. With Gomez healthy and strong, Hawthorne was on a roll and scoring goals like almost no other team in the Ocean League. The Cougars were 7-2-4 and at the time looked to be on pace to challenge the Culver City Centaurs for first place in the division. Once Gomez went down, however, Hawthorne lost four league games in a row and eventually wound up with a 3-6-1 record in Ocean League play. The Cougars eventually lost two of their last three games of the regular season, including the finale against the Lawndale Cardinals, to drop to 11-9-6 on the season and fall to fifth place within their division. Despite the team’s inability to finish out the season strong, the saving grace for head coach Yury Najarro and the rest of the Hawthorne Cougars is that Gomez will be back next season and will surely be ready to lead his team to an Ocean League title. Inglewood High The Inglewood High School soccer team ended the regular season after finally acquiring a much-coveted victory in the team’s third-tolast game against the Morningside Monarchs. While Inglewood’s overall record of 0-13-1 certainly suggests that the team had a rough season, to say the least, Morningside was unable to win a game all year long. The Monarchs did, however, force a tie against Inglewood in the second-to-last game of the year when the Sentinels battled back from behind and scored two goals in the second half to force the 3-3 split decision. Inglewood was able to avoid a last place finish in the Bay League standings with its victory over Morningside. The team’s one victory matched the win total from one season ago as head coach Clemente Gonzalez heads into an offseason that he certainly hopes will bring improvement heading into next year. • – Asixlion@earthlink.net
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