If you don't make up the Big Three, make a plan this summer to operate rationally, is it not a dream for the Lakers to compete for the championship?

Originally compiled from: LA Times

WRITTEN BY BILL PLASCHKE

原标题：Column: Rob Pelinka and the Lakers win free agency and the summer

They didn't do anything, but they did everything again.

They failed, but they succeeded again.

In recent memory, the circus in the NBA free agent market missed the Lakers, yet they still had their best shows.

In the past, the Lakers may have vigorously fought to sign the controversial Kyrie Irving. This time, they chose the tough Vincent.

In the past, the Lakers may have gone deep into trade talks for the overrated Bradley Beal. This time, they got a steady Prince.

In recent summers, the Lakers have started to adopt small-ball tactics, and this time the results have been excellent.

Instead of blindly trying to slash the opponent, they carefully pass the ball, push the ball into the opponent's position, and strive for more scoring opportunities.

While general manager Rob Pelinka makes amends for past mistakes, the Lakers show something rare in more than a decade:

Have a plan.

They actually have a plan! And this plan may actually succeed!

The plan was born out of a mid-season tweak last year, when their lineup added Hachimura, Russell and Jared Vanderbilt and brought Reeves into the starting lineup, suddenly pinching into a team.

Including the playoffs, they had a 25-15 record after the All-Star Game and 16-10 after Reeves became a starter, and despite being swept by eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets, they averaged only six points per game in the Western Conference Finals.

By the end of the playoffs, they were arguably the second-best team in the NBA. They are a team that should continue to stick together. They are a team that deserves another chance.

Pelinka dismissed them prematurely on their 2020 title journey before they had a real, injury-free chance to win another.

He learned from that mistake. He didn't give up on this team. He firmly unites them. He makes them better. He gave them a fresh chance to spend a full season replicating what they did last spring.

He created something more fun than the last exhausting tour for the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Opening night, can you imagine...

Cheers for Reeves? He was the shining light of last season. He is a budding star. He was wrapped in a huge Figueroa hug. Everyone loves Austin.

Remember his three-pointers in the playoffs? He hit 44% of them. Remember his dunks in the playoffs? The crypto arena is still vibrating. In the playoffs, he averaged 17 points and five assists per game, endless hope, and we can't wait to see it all again.

Opening night, can you imagine...

Cheers for Hachimura? As if created by a magician, he joined the team halfway. He can score, he can defend, he becomes everyone's favorite substitute. And that was before he set the tone for victory with 29 points in the playoff opener. He's hit 56 percent of his shots in the playoffs, and every one seems to be an important one, and we can't wait to see him perform again.

On kick-off night, Lakers fans can truly imagine competing for a championship.

The team was ready to spend a full season with Russell, who didn't perform well late in the playoffs but was consistent early in the playoffs, and he matured to become a unique player, a dexterous playmaker, a helpful player.

The team will benefit from Russell's backup Vincent, a gritty NBA playoff star who has the Miami Heat's strong influence on the Lakers and makes them even more prominent.

Vincent was a draft-lost brawler who became a starter in the Eastern Conference Finals and hit 51 percent of his three-pointers with 16 points per game. The Heat nearly eliminated the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics because Vincent missed a game due to injury, and his 23-point game in the Finals gave the Heat hope in their only victory against the Nuggets.

A rule of thumb: if a person is good enough for Eric Spoelstra and Pat Riley, they're good enough for your team.

Then there's Prince, an experienced player who played the full 44 minutes in the Minnesota Timberwolves' play-off game against the Lakers. In his seven seasons in the league, he's been a qualified player who can score double-digits, and with some luck, he could be the Lonnie Walker IV version of next season.

The only concern at Pelinka's recruiting extravaganza is a backup center named Jaxon Hayes, a former New Orleans Pelicans' 8th overall pick who played for four seasons.

In January 2022, he said no objection to misdemeanor charges of allegedly resisting arrest and false imprisonment in a family dispute incident in Woodland Hills in 2021. The incident included a video showing him being electrocuted with a stun gun by a police officer while another kneels on his neck. The Los Angeles Police Department later admitted that the knee-and-neck operation violated department policy.

As a follow-up to the dispute, Sofia Giadora filed an unresolved lawsuit accusing Hayes of committing multiple acts of violence that night and at other times, including hitting her with a suitcase, grabbing her, throwing her to the ground and dragging her down stairs. In a separate filing, Hayes denied the allegations.

While celebrating their success over the summer, the Lakers will certainly be watching the situation closely.

Opening night, can you imagine... Can't wait for the start of this new season.