Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[audiosway]

I have thought about that - BUT, as I considered the total context, I don't think that will happen. I may be wrong, of course. 

But I don't think the motivation is yet great enough to get Luka to adopt different daily habits, because he's found (and had it reinforced on a daily basis for many years) that he can still be a top player without doing any of that stuff. He's seen examples and watched role models. He's undoubtedly been lectured, cajoled, and maybe even reprimanded. But he has tested it, and found he can come in and still play better than most of the NBA without the extra work, so what he's doing (or not doing) has been just fine for his tastes.

It's like an addict. They can resolve, promise, wish, try, intend to change -- but the lifestyle is so ingrained, that it takes rock bottom to force a real change. And even that is often not enough.

Being traded, and landing in LA where he will be treated like a rock star, I don't think it's "rock bottom" at all, and certainly not enough to get him to change. But we'll see.

In my estimation, it will take something seismic to get Luka to work on his conditioning and change his diet, and to be committed every day in the off-season to improving his body and his game. But that's HUGE change, and what would be big enough of a consequence to make him desperate enough to change his life so completely? I don't think this is it.

Totally agree. Every big time player that we talk about that had an insane work ethic has it for a reason. MJ was cut from a high school team and determined to be a basketball player. That fire drove him being told he wasn't good enough.

Luka has never had that type of situation. Now he is in LA being told he is a top 3 player in the world. He isn't changing anything.

I'm not sure what it would take. But, I don't think anything can happen to Luka that will force that change. Basketball comes too easy.