Letters to Sports: Lakers drafting Bronny James is terrible move for player and team

I feel sorry for Bronny James. His dad did him no favors. What if other players think he gets more playing time than he deserves because he’s LeBron’s son or takes one of their jobs? What if LeBron wants him to get more time than he deserves? Think Doc and Austin Rivers. Terrible move for Bronny and the Lakers.

Alvin S. Michaelson
Marina Del Rey

Shame on Jeanie Buss, shame on Rob Pelinka and shame on the Lakers organization for selling their soul to team James. Nothing against Bronny, but the younger James wasn’t even good enough to have any meaningful impact at USC. So not only have the Lakers wasted a second-round pick on Bronny, but more important, these actions will potentially cost a deserving youngster a valuable spot in a very limited NBA players pool.

Greg Nersesyan
North Hollywood

Lakers use a valuable draft pick on Bronny James? In high school, Bronny didn’t even make his all-league first team. On a very bad USC team last year, he didn’t start and averaged less than five points a game. He will add absolutely no value to the Lakers roster. They could have signed him as a free agent as no other team would certainly have drafted him unless his father was on the team. I’m 75 years old. Draft me….it’ll make the same difference in the Lakers’ championship chances. And I’ll play for the league minimum.

Jack Nelson
Los Angeles

So now it’s official, the Los Angeles LeBrons have officially been held hostage by LeBron James and Rich Paul. The successful negotiation involved a $50-million contract for a 40-year-old, a draft choice for a player who couldn’t even start for his college team and a head coach who has never coached a single day in his life but shares a podcast with James.

Two years from now, LeBron will be retired, the Lakers will have yet another new coach and the 55th pick will be the 11th man off the bench. And the Lakers will not see the playoffs again until the next decade.

Bob Goldstone
Corona Del Mar

Bronny James likely has had better, individualized coaching than any other player ever drafted into the NBA. So before he or the Lakers are criticized, let’s wait to see Bronny’s game.

Richard Raffalow
Valley Glen

Dear Lakers,

You have officially become embarrassing.

George Sagadencky
Encino

Every coach who has won a championship with the Lakers did it during their first season, even Mike Dunleavy got to the ’91 Finals. So will Redick get it done after one or follow Ham out the door after two?

Ruben Hernandez
El Monte

Stunner. JJ Redick plans to take the Lakers to a championship. That’s what they all say! In fact, they have said. Even Mike (Train Wreck) D’Antoni and Darvin (Turnovers Are Just Part Of The Game) Ham blathered that one out. We all know how those stories ended. And they were authentic, professional coaches. Oh, well, when the Lakers become unwatchable this season, we can always tune in to the Clippers for a reminder of what genuine NBA coaching looks like.

Thomas Bailey
Long Beach

I’m not sure why JJ Redick thought it was necessary to drop two f-bombs during his introductory news conference. I sure hope he didn’t do that giving his fourth-grade team their pregame talk.

Steve Briseno
Mission Viejo

I’m 79, a retired school teacher, and I can cuss with the best of them. But, JJ Redick’s f-bombs on national TV offended me and many others. Sorry, JJ, you just lost a fan.

David Martinson
Costa Mesa

The Times’ article on UCLA basketball and NIL was really not shocking as UCLA and USC now make more moves than the Lakers and the Clippers. Thank you, NCAA, for destroying the game we used to love.

Wasn’t it more fun to watch players develop from freshman, onward ? Can you imagine 50 years ago, Bill Walton transferring from Westwood to San Diego State?

Fred Wallin
Westlake Village

The professionalization of college basketball and football has finally separated those sports from any meaningful “college education.” Universities are now just free minor leagues for the pros. Sad.

Henry A. Hespenheide
Hermosa Beach

Like Sammy Roth, I too am a lifelong Dodger fan, following them as an 8-year-old when they came here in 1958.

While I’d rather not get into politics and have it ruin the last vestige of enjoyment, sports, his one-sided argument opened up a huge can of worms.

First of all, I can refer him to articles from Time, Newsweek, etc., from the 1960s that “claimed” the next Ice Age was coming in 10 years because of global warming. Well, what happened!? We’re still here, and the arguments on both sides of this issue are scientifically based. There’s plenty of supporting data that we’re not on the brink of destruction. And, to make such slanted and biased statements as “human civilization is in a terrible bind, and it’s largely Big Oil’s fault” is simplistic and ridiculous. The gradient approach to cleaner energy is what’s practical.

So, why don’t we just leave politics out of the Sports section and not bicker and argue.

Rick Solomon
Lake Balboa

I agree with Sammy Roth’s column about the Dodgers cutting ties with Big Oil because Union 76 no longer provides the little Styrofoam balls that we all used to put on our car antennas. Another sign of the end of an era.

Allan Kandel
Los Angeles

As to the new City Connect Dodger uniforms: Did Freddy Kreuger buy the team?

Bill Locey
Oak View

Whoever designed your new uniforms, I’d ask for my money back. In one word — awful.

Sharon Shilkoff
Woodland Hills

Surely, the Dodgers realize that in an era when statistical rankings now include launch angle, sweet spot, barrels, exit velocity and batted ball distance, Shohei Ohtani, who leads the major leagues in several of those categories, is compelled to swing hard for the fences on each pitch because every game takes on the appearance of a “home run derby.” Why then would they discourage him from doing the same thing as part of an All-Star skills competition?

Steve Ross
Carmel

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