The Los Angeles Lakers have welcomed an old acquaintance.
On September 16, Beijing time, the Lakers officially announced that David Fitzdale and John Lucas III officially joined Frank Vogel's coaching team. During the offseason, Jason Kidd, who was Vogel's chief assistant coach, left the Lakers, leaving a rather significant vacancy for the coaching staff. The Lakers' actions are also sharp, contacting Fitzdale as a replacement.
In the 2018-20 season, Fitzdale was the head coach of the New York Knicks. Prior to that, he was head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies for two seasons. However, the fans' first impression of him is his days as an assistant coach at the Miami Heat. Beginning in the 2008–09 season, he was an assistant coach for the Heat for eight seasons. During this period, the Heat won the "two consecutive championships", and Fitzdale also formed a friendship with the Heat "Big Three".
Once they met, they still met each other.
The native Los Angeles native will enjoy coming home with the Lakers' vision of an NBA championship this season, and his assistant coaching resume and good personal relationship with home star LeBron James make him an ideal fit for the Lakers' coaching team.
The Lakers' lineup changes in the new season, and despite all kinds of doubts, the Lakers' operation is really eye-opening. Russell Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis guaranteed the team's lower playoff limit, but the triple payrolls combined were also directly close to the luxury tax line. After Westbrook joined, in order to ensure that the team can produce good chemistry, the lineup must be adjusted.
On the same day that Fitzdale and Lucas III officially joined the Lakers, B/R reporter Jack Fisher reported that Rich Paul told other agents that the Lakers would change teams in the new season during a joint trial in Chicago, with James switching to the fourth position and Davis moving from the fourth position to the fifth position. Who is Richie Paul? Believing that he released it, it can basically be seen as the consensus reached by James and Davis on this.
It's not unusual for Davis to play the fifth position with "thick eyebrows." He's an interior player, with the New Orleans Pelicans playing center positions for years, and he's been on top of the center on multiple occasions with the Lakers. However, this change may not be temporary next season.
LeBron James's switch to the big forward is slightly surprising. It's been two years since he switched from a forward to a Lakers point guard, and now from PG to PF. James, who is about to turn 37 and enter the 19th season of his career, is still struggling to compete for the championship, and he still needs to make changes for the team.
The reason for James's change of position is probably related to Westbrook. Last season, the Lakers introduced Dennis Schroeder as a failed attempt. This year James wants the team to bring in a true ball-handler, with Westbrook as the ultimate answer. James' move to the No. 4 position was intended to ease his point guard duties. That includes blocking, defending players who are fast, which is a bit overwhelming for James. The shift coincided with his desire to reduce his responsibilities on possession and extend his career. Let's not forget that the Lakers now have two elite organizers, Westbrook and Rondo, and James can rest assured that he will be relieved of the organizational tasks.
James is well versed in playing the No. 4 position, and this is not the first time he has played the role of a big forward. That brings us back to the season in 2012, when he made his first time as a big forward.
On November 30, 2012, Sean Battier missed several games due to injury, and LeBron James became the starting power forward for the Miami Heat. After the game, when asked james if the big forward would henceforth be his second position, James smiled at the idea.
"What's that?" I don't have a place. James said. When it comes to his position, James says it doesn't matter, whether it's the 4th, 3rd or 1st positions, he can try to play.
On the road to victory last season, James played well in the penalty area. The media once said that no low-level attack was the only crack in his armor, and his body exploded anyone in the league, but he could not abuse anyone in the same position at the low level. That all changed since his victory over the Oklahoma Thunder.
Westbrook should clearly remember what happened after James took on the role of big forward in the 2012 Finals. The Thunder either put Sergi Ibaka off the field or let him defend Battier. When Ibaka defends Battier, it means the Thunder's best blocker is near the three-point line. James Harden and Saab Severosa were absolutely unable to defend James in the low post; leaving Durant to defend, he was exhausted by a strong James pushing all the way to the basket.
"Getting James to the No. 4 spot" is the secret to the Heat's defense of the title, and Spoelstra seems to see that. The Heat's "small ball" lineup of point guard Mario Chalmers, shooting guard Dwyane Wade, small forward Sean Battier, big forward LeBron James and center Chris Bosh was invincible and devastated.
27 consecutive wins, 52 days undefeated.
James went low and destroyed the weak players. Opponents tried to use the big man against him, and James took them to the outside. In one misalignment after another, James truly incarnates into the nightmare of the enemy he is destined to become.
After James gained weight in the 2012-14 season, he focused on the big forward. At the time, he was on the information page of the NBA's official website: he was 6'8 inches tall and weighed 260 pounds. Zach Randolph of the Grizzlies was one of the strongest big forwards in the league, standing 6'9" and weighing 260 pounds. In fact, James is stronger, more explosive, and faster than most of the big forwards in the league.
But the burden of weight gain was also reflected in the 2014-15 season, when James missed 13 games with a back injury. This is the most absent-time season before he joined the Lakers. James then began to lose weight to return to the small forward position. James' second big forward will have to wait until the 2017-18 season. The Cavaliers at the time were questioned and confused, and Tyrone Lu offered a killing move: Kevin Love was the starting center, which brought the ultimate space. James played all 82 regular season games in a rare fit, and the playoff "All Out Zhan" reappeared, bringing the doubtful Cavaliers all the way to the Finals.
"If the coach sends me to play in the No. 1 position, I know every tactic. If he asked me to play the 5th bit I knew how to play it, and the same was true for the 2, 3, 4 slots. I know how tactically I play at every position on the pitch, so it makes my job a lot easier because I know where I should be and what my teammates should do. In the 2017-18 season, James, who plays for the Cavaliers, explained to reporters who asked questions in a post-game interview.
This person can play all the positions on the field at any moment. In the 2019-20 season, James spent most of the season as a point guard, and finally the Lakers won the championship in one fell swoop.
"That doesn't matter to me. I will do anything that will make us win. I'm a basketball player, I'm not a point guard, I'm not a point guard, I'm not a small forward, I'm not a big forward, I'm not a center. I'm a basketball player. You send me on the pitch and I can achieve something, no matter who else is on the pitch. James has been reluctant to respond too much to the issue of positional changeovers.
"Whatever it is, I just want to win, that's all about me."
This is the third time in James' career that he has switched to a big forward. The first time was at the peak of 28 years old, and the second time was the end of the peak of 33 years old, and this time it was the end of his career. The first two times James stood in the No. 4 position to lead the team to look down on the crowd, this time James and his team once again focused on the Larry O'Brien Cup, Cameron Anthony has released a bold statement: the Lakers do not win the championship is defeat.