May 5, 2025
It was a very rough week last week for LA sports teams, starting with the Lakers. They were eliminated by the Timberwolves in 5 games, and there is much blame to go around. The most glaring issue is the Lakers lack of size. The size they had was completely ineffective when it was out there. There’s no way Jaxton Hayes is going to come back to this team after Redick gave up on him. However, the Lakers need to use their picks and expiring contracts to get themselves both a more athletic and effective big man, as well as some versatile wings who can defend. As for the stars, Luka needs to get in better shape, and at least show me some desire to play defense. Nobody is saying he has to be Scottie Pippen, but he needs to at least put an effort in and not get blown by on every other possession. Austin didn’t have a great series, but some of that may be injury. He’s still an excellent #3 option and I probably wouldn’t trade him, unless a transcendent level star was coming back in return. Then there’s Lebron, who had some elite moments in this series, but you have to remember, he played nearly the entire game in game 4, so he didn’t have much left in the tank after that. It wouldn’t matter though because he sprained his MCL, so he wouldn’t have been able to play after that. JJ Redick will learn from this that you can’t simply play 5 or 6 guys in the playoffs. You can’t just give up on dudes like Jaxton Hayes and Gabe Vincent. I expect that as a coach he will get better as well. In the meantime, he can think about that while he’s in Cancun.
The Lakers will be joined in Cancun by the Clippers, who got crushed in game 7 by the Nuggets. The Clips chose to let the Denver role players try and beat them, which wasn’t a bad strategy, but when that didn’t work they basically gave up. It’s really a shame that such a close series ended up with a blowout in the final game. James Harden had another terrible elimination game, which is tough to swallow after he played well for a good chunk of the series. He’s shooting 39% from the field in his last 13 elimination games and his teams have gone just 2-11 in that stretch. In a lot of ways the Clippers overachieved this season though. Kawhi slowly ramped up and started looking elite at the end. Harden played well for long stretches, and Ivica Zubac showed he can be one of the better starting big men in the league. The problem is all that went right, and they lost in the 1st round to a team that hired a new coach a couple of weeks ago. Would they be better with a full season of Kawhi? Maybe but who’s to say that his knees can hold up for a full season. That’s always the issue with the Clips.
To the ice, where the Kings and their fans have to be frustrated. They were eliminated by the Oilers for the 4th straight season. This nonsense has gone on for the length of one entire Presidential Term! This loss is a major indictment on the Kings coaching staff and their front office. The Kings had a 2-0 series lead, and should have gone back to LA with a 3-0 or at least 3-1 lead. They failed to realize they cannot play the same way against the Oilers that they play against everybody else. They sat back and didn’t attack, the Oilers gained more confidence, and ultimately prevailed by overwhelming the Kings with their skill. The series was littered with poor coaching decisions by Hiller, especially with his horrible coaches challenge in game 3, which completely changed the momentum of the series. Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence were very effective in this series, yet Clarke’s minutes were always reduced, and Spence was even taken out of the lineup one game. Meanwhile, Drew Doughty performed nowhere near the $11 million salary he is earning with the Kings. The real issue now is there is no accountability. Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille have been in their current roles for 8 years. Dean Lombardi won two Stanley Cups and made the conference finals, yet was fired after missing the playoffs two of the next 3 years. So why do Blake, Robitaille, and Hiller get a pass for not making it past the 1st round for 4 straight years? It’s a frustrating time for Kings fans.
The Dodgers took 2 out of 3 from the Braves over the weekend in Atlanta, and they are still clinging to the best record in baseball by 1/2 game over the Padres. It’s a bummer to see Tommy Edman go on the injured list, but not surprising. When Dave Roberts says he expects Edman to be in the lineup tomorrow, you can expect Edman to be on the IL, and that’s exactly what happened. It’s great that Hye Seong Kim is now on the Big League roster, but why should he be sitting on the bench when Michael Conforto and Chris Taylor are hitting like little leaguers every day? The Dodgers have about 6 guys in their lineup that are dominating at the plate, and the other 3 you just never know what you are going to get from them. There’s till plenty of time to sort that out, but the real question among that group is if Max Muncy will figure it out. He’s still hitting only .186 on the season. Dustin May can be a really good pitcher, but he’s going to need some time to figure things out with his new “sweeper pitch” that will keep him healthy, but will take time to be effective. At least Tony Gonsolin is back on the mound, giving them another reliable starter for the time being.
I didn’t think it could get worse for the Halos since you last read MMC, but it did. They lost 5 of 6 games last week, and are just 2-8 in their last 10 games. The have been outscored by 64 runs, which is their worst mark through the first 33 games of a season in franchise history. Since April 11th, they’ve been outscored by 73 runs, which is the worst in the majors. When you’re run differential is that bad it’s simple: you can’t hit and you can’t pitch. Now Mike Trout is back on the IL with a bone bruise in his knee. The only good news for the Halos is that ticket prices are super cheap if you want to see a baseball game.
