Column: A painful truth: Lakers must trade Austin Reaves

I love him like you.

But it’s time.

Austin Reefis It is the breath of Lakers for pure air, a rest period of all drama and dirge, an exciting journey that is not confined to non -applicable. My favorite, everyone is favorite.

But it’s time.

if Lakes They will reach where they should be, they will have to get there without Austin Reefis. If Lakers really appreciate getting a big man, they will have to get rid of the little feller.

A curse, I hate writing these next three words.

Austin Revis Trade.

I send him the packing in a deal that brings Lakers a kind of Lob partners and the RIM protector who brought you out your absence from the post -season. Use it as a more attractive origin that can attract this type of giant that can help this group return to competition.

You say you want to build around it Luca Densic? Start with Reves.

You say you want Liberon James To have another chance of glory before it retires? This will never happen while running next to Reves.

Six months ago, this entire idea was ridiculous. For a while last season, Reves It was the vital box In the Lakers crime that moved from Anthony Davis To Doncic and keep the RAves as a strong option No. 3.

Average 20 points, six passes and five rebound balls. He made a team 73 beginning. Their leader was consistency and conscience, playing hard, playing harm, and always playing with intent.

The average of 11 other players in the American Professional League reached at least 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 decisive passes. Only three players in that list were younger than Revis at the age of 26.

The Oddbal star was wearing a headquarters. He won the Christmas match with the last ball thrown against Golden State. 38 scored in the January victory against Brooklyn. 45 Dunsic or James scored in February’s victory against Indiana. He had 37 points and 13 passes in March’s abbreviation loss in Denver, which represents their most inspiring efforts for this season.

By the end of the normal season, he moved from the luxury to necessity, as he was wandering in the conversation as one of the three outstanding Lakers.

Then, in five posteason game … Pop! … PssSST!

While Lakers was losing four of the five games against Minnesota Timberlovs, Reeves was literally losing his foot with all his saliva, struggling with the toe made of bruises and a good reputation.

It was poor in the attack, and the shooting barely 30 % of the depths. It was poor to defense, as he was constantly beaten by Timberwolves’ more sporty. He turned upside down through the physical life he could not match, and may never be able to match.

The moments in which his best was required, was in his worst. In all the fourth quarter, he disappeared when his team’s chance disappeared.

In the fourth quarter, the average of three points. He scored one point in the game 3. He scored three points in the game 5.

In less than two weeks, he moved on who cannot be prejudiced to an unpubra, and the new opinion about him is now clear.

If Austin Reeves is the third best player in Lakers, he will have difficulty winning a championship. If in Big 3, they will not have 3 BIG 3.

This is not at all to blame Reaves for the loss of Minnesota. It was just a small part of everything wrong. However, unlike some singer stars from other losing groups, he boldly admitted and stick his role in the massacre.

“It is clear that I had no series that I wanted to get,” Reeves told reporters in an exit interview after the qualifying series. “You can direct the finger to me. I’m not really interested. I wasn’t good enough to help us succeed and I hope to do more, but I was not. I got fought. You live and learn.”

The problem is that he cannot learn to become longer, learn to be more sporty, or learn to fit with a crime in which he reflects the strengths and weaknesses of his weaknesses, which need a more supplementary piece.

He said: “Frankly, no one believes that I will be in this position.” “So I continued to prove myself over and over again. I will go to work and do the same in the next year. That’s really everything. I needed to be better and not.”

This type of honest meditation is just one of the reasons why the Lakers players respect him as a leader in the Treasury room and the Lakers front desk he loves him, among other things, originally is relatively inexpensive with a value of $ 14 million. And yes, the fans often want to do a good job, and he will love him if he stays here forever.

Lakers striker Dorian Feni Smith and goalkeeper Austin Reeves, after Viny Smith made a triple indicator against Timberwolves during a separate match in Minneapolis.

(Robert Gotier / Los Angeles Times)

To be clear, Lakers do not want to circulate, and there was no conversation supported by his circulation. James and Donesic do not want to go. About 19000 in every home game you don’t want to go.

But everyone knows the deal. For a special thing, you will have to give up something special.

If they have a little chance to get Giannis Antetokounmpo, any deal will have to include Reves. If they want Joel Empid, a countryside must go. Perhaps they can get Nic Claxton without formulating the deal, but don’t they need to do better than Nic Claxton?

He has Exit interviewBasketball president Rob Pelinka He made it clear that he saw what everyone saw when Rudi Jubert became suddenly from Minnesota and was suddenly Chamberlain. They urgently need a center, and when Lakers strongly needs something, they will not stop at anything to get it.

“It will be great that you have a center that was a vertical threat, a leopard threat, and a person who can protect the interior defensively, and I think this will be a key,” Biloca told reporters. “But there are different types of centers that can be very effective in the league. There are also spread centers that can protect the edge. We’ll look at that as well. So I don’t want to limit the original model, but we know we need a big man.”

He greatly covered every desirable big man in the league with this quote, right? Here’s guessing if Lakers can get the right center, the reefs future here does not represent a chance.

No, the lack of size is the only big Laker problem that enters the summer.

Despite all Luu-Kaa’s love, Lakers also face a dunk problem. As the normal fan can also see, it should be in a better condition. Minnesota players ran behind as he was standing, which was usually. The series was informally led, “out of breathing.” It was very clear, later Coach JJ Redick He seemed to be criticized towards him when he talks about what his team needs to do in the summer.

“I will start with … the required work in a season outside to be in the form of a championship.” “We have ways to go as a list. Certainly, there are individuals who were in a huge form. There are definitely other people who can be in a better condition. This is where my mind immediately goes is that we must get a heroic shape.”

Lakers Austin Reeves, Center, has a similar set of skills as his teammate in the team, all the stars Luca Densic (77), but the team really needs a big man to complete the five start.

(Gina Verizy / Los Angeles Times)

Given that James is witnessed at night for being in a “huge” form, one can only assume that your Redak refers to an arrow “can be in a better condition” in Densic.

Will Luca listen? Will Luka change? Did Luka finally realize that his bad adaptation is the main reason Dallas Maverkes in getting rid of him with foolishness, and while Marax was stolen to the deal, all this talk about weight issues was completely correct?

Doncic needs a formation. Treating another Lakeer case, Redick needs its formation.

The coach was suffering from a regular season of the year, but, like his team, melted in the qualifiers, and the absorption of general criticism from Magic Johnson after the first loss, then used the same five players in the entire second half in his third loss. Before match 5, Redick Britter was implicitly a reporter that he needed to rely more on his veteran aides, then he came out of the press conference with sufficient with a sufficient goal that many in the national media stated in joy that he had stormed.

For the record, he did not storm. The press conference reached its natural end. He simply left after an angry response, but given how much he struggled in the playoffs, people assumed that he was throwing a Hayes attack.

He will learn from that moment and every embarrassing watershed moment preceded. It is better to learn. Darfin is important for much less.

“I know I can be better,” said Redik. “I know I will improve. I necessarily bear any relief from how the year has gone. This does not mean that I am not proud of what the group was able to do, and how we were able to discover things while flying, putting ourselves in a position that allows us to have a home court in the first round, but there are always ways to improve, and I can get a lot.”

Meanwhile, there is only one reasonable way that his team can improve and quickly improve, bringing this pillar reluctantly to its unfortunate completion.

I will hate, I hate, I hate saying goodbye to Austin Reeves.

But it’s time.