The impressive play of LeBron James and Anthony Davis during Team USA’s gold medal run in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris gives hope that the Los Angeles Lakers will recover well from their season-ending first-round loss.

Alongside Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo in Team USA’s second unit, Davis was a dangerous defensive presence with 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals in just 16.6 minutes. It also provided a model for maximizing Davis’ potential.

The Lakers might find success with a 3-for-1 deal that would allow them to add a floor-spacing center to join Davis and clear roster space for experienced free agents.

D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, and a 2025 second-round selection are acquired by the Chicago Bulls (via LA Clippers).

The Lakers should seize the chance to bolster their frontcourt with size and shooting without having to give up either of their two remaining first-round picks, as Vucevic is reportedly creating no trade market in addition to Zach LaVine’s dissatisfaction, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Bulls may decide to move forward with this hypothetical Lakers package if they believe that the Clippers will struggle in the post-Paul George era and give up Vucevic’s $41.5 million guaranteed salary over the next two years. This will give them an early second-round pick in the prestigious NBA Draft the following year.

After failing to secure the Oklahoma City Thunder an additional draft pick in the Alex Caruso–Josh Giddey trade, the Bulls likely not get a better deal than this.

JJ Redick wants to add a “bruising center” to the Lakers.

It is clear that JJ Redick, the new coach of the Lakers, wants a big, burly man next to Davis so that he can go into his favored power forward position.

“You definitely have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster,” Redick stated on July 12 during an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson. “We tried, and we would really love to have another five man, a huge, brutish five man, at some point.

“You look at the Western Conference right now, you’re going to need a lot of size, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, or Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt because they added Zach Edey.”

Even though Nikola Jokic is the gold standard for all NBA big men and the Lakers’ biggest headache the past two seasons, Vucevic, a former four-time All-Star center, has held his own against him.

Jokic averaged just 15.8 points in 13 career games versus Vucevic, according to Statmuse, which is five points less than his lifetime average and 11 points less than his scoring average from the previous season.

A respectable 34.1% career 3-point shooter, Vucevic may also help James and Davis get more paint time. In terms of defense, Vucevic’s bulk may provide the Lakers with an additional rim protector and free up Davis to move around and perform at his peak level as a weakside defender.

Anthony Davis Co-Signs the Hiring of JJ Redick

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN claims that Davis was a major factor in the Lakers’ decision to hire Redick.

According to insiders, the Lakers are determined to include All-NBA forward Anthony Davis in the hiring process and want to ensure that he is comfortable with the coach’s offensive and defensive game plans. Wojnarowski made this announcement on June 6.

After being hired, Redick and Davis had talks in which the rookie head coach discussed his vision.

Redick wants to give Davis the reins as James completes his extraordinary career.

According to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, Davis stated, “[Redick] talked about me being the hub of the offense.” That will not be like that. Until [training] camp, when we can get on the floor, we won’t know anything. We desire more 3-pointers from LeBron. [Redick] desires to play quickly while staying safe. I completely agree with what he has planned for us based on what he was telling me. .. Winning a title is still the ultimate objective. Steps cannot be skipped.

Getting a big man like Vucevic who can also make 3-pointers could aid Redick in carrying out his strategy to turn Davis into the focal point of the Lakers’ offensive attack.

With a stunning display from Daktronics, Crypto.com Arena Upgrades Big Center-Hung Scoreboards for Games, Concerts, and Other Special Events.

Brookings, South Dakota — (BUSINESS WIRE)—Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles has chosen Daktronics (NASDAQ-DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota to produce and install a new center-hung scoreboard. The 5,500-square-foot, six-display system will have 41.7 million pixels hanging above the action during concerts, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Kings, and Los Angeles Sparks games, as well as the many other live events hosted at the storied Southern California venue.

“Partnering with Daktronics to feature this impressive centerpiece, which will enhance the experience for our guests by bringing them closer to the action, complements the many other upgrades and technological innovations made to this historic venue as the arena marks its 25th anniversary in 2024.”

More than sixty workers from several contractor and consultancy firms as well as building staff started installation on August 1. The staff put in endless hours to achieve the deadline of August 14 and accommodated the busy schedule of the venue to host two highly anticipated concert dates.

By mid- to late-August, the new scoreboard will be operational for live events, concerts, and team practices on the ice. The digital experience will be enhanced with the redesigned scoreboard in 2022, which will also have end wall and ribbon displays from Daktronics.

Lee Zeidman, President of Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater, and L.A. LIVE, expressed his excitement about introducing a cutting-edge scoreboard with sharp, vibrant graphics for fans to enjoy during Lakers, Kings, and LA Sparks games, as well as other live events at Crypto.com Arena. He added, “Partnering with Daktronics to display this impressive centerpiece, which will bring fans even closer to the action, enhances the many other upgrades and technological improvements made to this iconic venue as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2024.”

Details of the Center-Hung Scoreboard Display

With 3.9 millimeter pixel spacing, the main video display is a continuous canvas that encircles the center-hung structure. Its dimensions are roughly 27 feet high by 170.5 feet in circumference. It can display numerous digital content zones according to the requirements of each event thanks to its variable content zoning capability. This includes sponsorship messaging, images and animations, statistics and game information, immediate replays, and live video feeds.

“We’re thrilled to offer an enhanced experience through the LED technology we’ve installed this year at Crypto.com Arena, the premier venue in Los Angeles,” stated Reece Kurtenbach, president and CEO of Daktronics. This project demonstrates our dedication to quality and creativity, as well as our outlook for the development of technology and its application to live events. We’re overjoyed to see this exhibit realized since it offers fans even another thrilling degree of entertainment.

Beneath the main display, on the center-hung structure facing the floor below, is a unique bottom display. This has a 2.5-millimeter pixel spacing and is 18 feet high by 18 feet wide. This offers more visuals and animations in addition to the exclusive chance to add more content when events are happening.

The sides and ends of the arena are faced by four underbelly displays that are mounted along each side of the bottom show. Each of these displays has 2.5 millimeter pixel spacing and is approximately 14 feet high by 16.5 feet wide. These can serve customers who are seated closer to the floor by displaying content in addition to the main display.

Show Control with Camino and Venus Control Suite, a unique Daktronics control system, connects the newly built end wall and ribbon displays to the center-hung scoreboard. This industry-leading control system combines playback hardware, data integration, display control software, and top-notch video processing to create a production solution that is both robust and easy to use. A new degree of capability for creating dynamic, real-time rendered content in a Daktronics system will be made available with the addition of Camino to the control system.

Daktronics has expanded alongside the sports sector since its founding in 1968. Currently, over half of all professional sports venues in the US and Canada have integrated LED super systems because to the efforts of this company. See www.daktronics.com/professionalsports for additional details about Daktronics’ offerings.