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Lakers guard Austin Reaves shows frustration with an official's call during a playoff game. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Seeing that the Dodgers gave out two of the worst free-agent contracts in the history of baseball the last two years, Tanner Scott and Kyle Tucker, I guess the new ownership had to bring that lunacy to the Lakers. Paying Austin Reaves $185 million over four years, a player that’s never been an All-Star, never led the team in any category and never shows up in the playoffs, goes to show you that they have no idea what they’re doing. And we Lakers season ticket-holders wonder why our tickets went up more than 55% for next season.
Geno Apicella
Placentia
I guess Bill Plaschke decided to put on his “everyday working person” hat to attack Austin Reaves, a player that he acknowledges is adored by the fan base. I think fans are getting over the athlete’s modern pay scales. Also I think it was a cheap shot to talk about injuries being his fault and he should muscle up. It seems to me extra muscle on a body that’s not built for it causes medical problems also. And a cheap shot attacking his “aw shucks” demeanor. I hope Reaves doesn’t change a thing.
Ely Licht
Cypress
Congrats on the Lakers showing some restraint in only giving Austin Reaves $185 million for four years instead of the expected $240 million for five years. Reeves is a good player, but not close to being worth the higher figure!
Jack Wolf
Westwood
If Austin Reaves could only play defense like former Laker Alex Caruso, his fat contract wouldn’t bother me, but he can’t, so it does.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
Time for change
There is no doubt the Dodgers are elite talent evaluators. Their history is littered with “can’t miss” prospects that they saw a cloudy future in and traded away to unsuspecting teams. Sure, they miss on a few like Roberto Clemente, Pedro Martinez and Yordan Alvarez, but overall their track record is elite.
I remain baffled, however, why with elite pitching talent like River Ryan and major-league ready players like Ryan Ward and James Tibbs at Oklahoma City, how the Dodgers continue to try to purchase an All-Star team (Blake Snell and Kyle Tucker come to mind) for no better, or worse, results. Let’s give the young guys, like has been proven with Dalton Rushing, a clear path to the majors and quit acquiring high-priced talent to stand in their way for years.
Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo
The three worst mistakes in Dodger history: Giving away Yordan Alvarez for nothing; trading Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields; signing Kyle Tucker instead of Bo Bichette. Tucker needs to bat ninth. What a waste of money.
Ed Villanueva
Chino Hills
Sorry to say it, but Emmet Sheehan is just not ready for prime time. I don’t know who is left in Oklahoma City to help, but the Dodgers should give someone in the minors an opportunity here. Who knows? They might find a diamond in the rough.
Mike Schaler
Temple City
Must agree
The one constant who has been there through the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, the Shaq and Kobe era, the Kobe and Pau Gasol era, the difficult years after Kobe’s retirement, the LeBron era, and now the beginning of the Luka Doncic era is Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers’ public address announcer for 43 years. Bill Plaschke’s excellent column on Tanter was well-deserved.
Tanter has been the perfect voice for the Fabulous Forum, Staples Center and Crypto.com Arena. We all wish him a full recovery from his stroke. He will be missed next season. The Lakers should honor him at a game by putting his name and microphone on a banner alongside Chick Hearn’s and let him announce Laaaker Girlsss one last time.
Dave Ring
Manhattan Beach
Memory lapse
The voters for the L.A. Times Sports UCLA Hall of Fame certainly have a short memory. Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich didn’t attain the necessary 75% of votes. As a pair, they led the Bruins to their first national championship with the tallest starter being Fred Slaughter at 6-5. And Goodrich led the team to a second championship the following year. Don MacLean only received 11% from the voters. He’s only the leading scorer in UCLA basketball history. And 100% of the voters should have voted for Coach Wooden, Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton. But, by far the most egregious error was the lack of votes for Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She is the greatest female athlete in UCLA history and one of the greatest athletes in world history. She won multiple gold medals from the Olympics and world championships in the heptathlon and long jump while also setting world records. She was a starter on the UCLA women’s basketball team. She received votes from 55.9% of the voters. There must have been many USC fans voting.
Neal Rakov
Santa Fe, N.M.
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