The Tribune

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

LAKERS centre DeMarcus Cousins’ ACL tear, and its aftermath, is coming into focus in Los Angeles.

And it’s not looking pretty, for my Lakers.

With the NBA free agency period long over, the answer for the Lakers is to take desperate measures.

THE DREGS

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are considering signing Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, Marcin Gortat or Marreese Speights.

Howard, Noah and Speights all have scheduled workouts, while Gortat reportedly will audition after returning from Europe.

Howard, Noah and Gortat are each 33 or above, and all have eroding skillsets.

Especially Howard, whose game was becoming less dominant and effective after his epic failure with the Lakers the first time around. (And that was seven long years ago.)

Yes, the Lakers need a big body urgently to rotate with centre JaVale McGee, and they only have the bottom of the barrel to chose from.

HIGHEST OF

‘SPEIGHTS’

My choice would be Speights who, at 32, is the youngest of the bunch and the only one to hit more than six 3-pointers over the course of his NBA career.

After connecting on 22 3-pointers over the first nine years of his career, Speights advanced his game, hitting 213 over the last three seasons at a 37.2 clip.

He’s another good, spot up, catch and shoot, shooter that would fit in perfectly offensively with Antony Davis and LeBron James.

BRACE YOURSELVES

LAKER NATION

One of the above mentioned big men will be on the Lakers, who still have their sights set on an NBA championship.

Despite the likes of Howard, Speights, Noah or Gortat in a Lakers playoff lineup. Scary, but true!

NEWS FROM THE

RANCH -

SMITH SECURES

THE BAG

I remember three years ago arguing vehemently with Bahamian Cowboy fans, when the Cowboys selected an injured Jaylon Smith, All American linebacker from Notre Dame, 34th overall in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. I said it then and I will say it now, it was a steal, grand larceny even, once again, by Cowboys owner and president Jerry Jones, vice president of operations Stephen Jones and director of player personnel Will McClay.

Smith was drafted after undergoing extensive surgery to repair devastating damage to his knee - suffered in the Fiesta Bowl when Notre Dame took on Ohio State in January, 2016.

Smith has overcome all odds, including nerve damage to the knee, to return to football, and become one of the most dominant, productive linebackers in the entire NFL.

I was glad to see Smith rewarded on Tuesday for his dedication, determination and team first mentality.

The Cowboys signed Smith to a five year extension worth $64 million, with $35.5 million guaranteed.

(Further proof to the youngsters out there, hard work does really pay off).

Smith also received a $5 million signing bonus, and his contract structure is one that places him in the upper echelon of the top-paid linebackers in the NFL, but it is also favourable to the Cowboys’ salary cap moving forward.

As far as Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper, relax Cowboy nation, with the ability to free up nearly $100 million in 2020 cap space still very much in play, there’s still more than enough to pass around enticing slices to the three most important offensive players on the roster.

Oh, and as far as Jaylon Smith goes, let me just say, I told you so!

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