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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Grip on Sports: Is it luck or something else that allows a certain pro franchise the ability to make unexpected trades for superstars?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • One of the few positives having lived long enough to wonder if you need orthopedic shoes? Just about everything that happens in the sporting realm reminds you of something that has happened before. Most-recent case in point? The L.A. Lakers shocking the rest of the NBA by pulling off an unexpected trade for a superstar.

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• There are about 17 different formulas for success in professional sports. At the heart of all of them is capital. How much you have, how you spend it, how it informs your decisions. It’s not just money, either, though money is at the root of all evil professional empires. And the good ones too.

Pro teams in Los Angeles are blessed with more capital than most, from money streams unavailable to other franchises to the weather, which is part of how the Dodgers and Lakers and even the salary-capped Rams are able to entice superstars to their domains.

But each league is different.

The NBA has always allowed more portability for its superstars than, say, the NFL, meaning teams are more willing to move them for the right price. Over the decades, the Lakers have been luckier – if that’s the right word – than most figuring out what that price is. And figuring out a way to meet it.

It was a lot of nothing in the late 1960s, when the franchise made their second big trade – the first being when it traded its headquarters from Minneapolis to Los Angeles about a decade before, after having won five titles in Minnesota. This trade brought Wilt Chamberlain to L.A., the perfect pairing of the game’s devilish giant – literally and figuratively – with the City of Angels. And allowed the Lakers to get over the hump, finally winning an NBA championship for the city.

The return? Three decent players – but no one that resonated in star-struck L.A.

It was just the beginning. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Anthony Davis. And now Luka Doncic. All acquired by trade. All bringing along some level of surprise that the Lakers were able to add their talents.

How do I know? Mainly having lived through the headlines.

July 9, 1968. Part of a summer of anger throughout the nation. Including in Philadelphia, at least that day. The day the Sixers sent Wilt, the NBA’s most-prolific scorer, to L.A. Even an 11-year-old, as I was, knew what it meant. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West had a real chance of winning an NBA title. It took a while, it even took Baylor’s retirement, but the L.A. Lakers finally won. In 1972, when they set an NBA record for victories in a season.

And they’ve won many times since. The Doncic trade? Just the latest.

Abdul-Jabbar coming from Milwaukee to the town he called home in his college days, was the biggest. And most impactful. Kobe Bryant had not played a minute when the Lakers fleeced Charlotte in 1996, but everyone knew he was special. Heck, though the team drafted Magic Johnson out of Michigan State, the draft pick came from the Jazz, in sort-of-a-trade after New Orleans signed over-the-hill guard Gail Goodrich as a free agent.

Each acquisition stands out in my memory. It’s how it is with fandom, especially fandom that begins at a young age. All those nights under the spotlight my dad installed so I could shoot in the driveway before bed? The mental games I played featured West, Chamberlain, Happy Hairston – not everyone that helped the Lakers win over the years was a superstar – and the rest.

And every time L.A. robbed another, less-glamorous franchise over the years, it went into the same memory vault. Ready to be recalled when they won a title. Or made another deal that sent a seismic shock through the league. As happened Saturday.

OK, so not every move the Lakers have made over the years has worked out. Plenty of trades have been ill-advised. Plenty of free-agent signings failed too, though all anyone remembers are names like Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. It’s the ability to keep trying, to use the capital inherent in being located in the nation’s second-largest metropolis with the nation’s best weather, owned by deep-pocketed folks who are willing to actually, you know, dip into those pockets consistently, that ensures a consistent winner.

The Lakers history is unlike most other NBA franchises’ history. Probably unlike any pro franchise you’ve cast your lot with, especially if you live in the Northwest.

The Doncic trade proves it once more.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we start with hoops. Specifically, Jon Wilner’s thoughts in the S-R about Bobby Hurley’s actions during, and after, the recent loss to Arizona. … Wilner also has more financial numbers concerning former Pac-12 members in the Mercury News. … Former Washington (and Seahawk) offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is pairing up with Kalen DeBoer again. As the SEC is more NFL-like than the Pac-12 used to be, we wonder how it will work this time. … John Canzano had some wide-ranging thoughts Sunday. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Bronco Mendenhall takes over Utah State’s football program. What is atop his to-do list? … In basketball news, the Oregon men are about to fall from the rankings after their third consecutive loss, Sunday’s at home to Nebraska. … Hurley has been criticized from all corners. … The Big 12 clarified why Arizona’s Caleb Love was ejected, though it seems a bit of an after-the-fact coverup. … San Diego State’s struggles has them stuck firmly on the NCAA bubble. … The final 15 minutes were a disaster for Utah State against New Mexico. … Oregon State women’s coach Scott Rueck has a few acolytes spread throughout the West Coast. And he would rather not face them. … Washington lost at No. 8 Ohio State. … Oregon’s winning streak ended in a big way at Michigan. … Caitlin Clark is still winning games for Iowa. The Hawkeyes retired her number Sunday and then went out and upset fourth-ranked USC.

Gonzaga: How do the Zags start winning the close games? If Mark Few, his staff and players can figure it out, the rest of the season may be special. So far, that hasn’t been the case, with Gonzaga 0-7 in overtime or two-possession games. Jim Meehan delves into what the Bulldogs are doing to get over the hump. … Major NBA trades these days have a good chance of including a former GU player. That’s the case with Zach Collins.

Chiefs: Three games in three nights. Three wins too. Dave Nichols has coverage of the latest, Sunday’s 5-2 victory in British Columbia against Vancouver.

Golf: Rory McIlroy won another PGA Tour event Sunday, pulling away on the back nine to win at Pebble Beach.

Seahawks: The Super Bowl will be indoors. Does that favor either team? … Pete Carroll hiring Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator. Success or failure? Discuss among yourselves. … The Hawks lost an assistant coach but seem poised to hire his replacement.

Kraken: Seattle fell behind by three goals early, tried to rally but came up a goal short against the visiting Calgary Flames.

Storm: The Jewell Loyd trade is just part of the WNBA teams remaking themselves this offseason. The latest loss for Seattle? Sami Whitcomb signed with Phoenix.

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• Honestly, I’m not sure Doncic will be all that with L.A. But looking at what the Lakers gave the Mavericks, it’s not as if they mortgaged their future to bring him in. Not exactly a bargain-basement price, sure, but more akin to what they sent Milwaukee for Abdul-Jabbar than what the Clippers gave OKC for Paul George a few years back. Until later …