Heisler: Lakers no longer even do no-brainers, like tanking and Jerry West

For years I welcomed the end of the regular season with a prayer:

Thank heavens that’s over!

Of course, that was before the Lakers were through at this point, now in their fourth straight year out of the playoffs, and counting.

There’s a new NBA narrative locally in which the regular season is discounted for both teams. As everyone knows, the Clippers’ season means nothing and the playoffs everything — which is actually true for all teams but a special curse for them, obliged as they are to compete on turf the Lakers have taken possession of in perpetuity.

Laker seasons now mean nothing, either. It’s all about the lottery … assuming they keep their pick … which is now — oops! — less than a 50 percent shot.

Losing the pick would mean having gained next to nothing (they have the Rockets’ No. 1 at No. 28) after another grisly year of developing the young players who are so precious to them, even if none is yet a star.

The question for Lakers fans is no longer whether Lonzo Ball will be Magic Johnson’s Magic … but if Magic is magical enough to beat their diminished odds in the lottery.

The real question is how the Lakers blew it down the stretch with Phoenix two games ahead of them in the standings, zooming past the Suns with an inopportune five-game winning streak in April.

With the second-worst record at No. 29, the Lakers would have had a 55.8 percent chance of drawing a top-three pick, which they wouldn’t have to convey to Philadelphia.

With the third-worst at No. 28 where the Lakers finished, they just dropped to 46.9 percent.

Worse, their No. 1 in 2019 pick is also at greater risk. If they keep this year’s lottery pick, they owe Orlando only a pair of second-rounders (2017 and 2018) to complete the Dwight Howard trade.

If they lose this year’s lottery pick, the Magic get their unprotected No. 1 in 2019.

Teams with less motivation tanked for all they were worth. The Suns, who will keep their lottery pick whether it’s in the top three or not, shut down Eric Bledsoe on March 15 —Bledsoe tweeted his displeasure with the “unamused face” emoji — played their kids who are even younger than the young Lakers, saw Devin Booker go for 70 points in Boston and still lost that game and 14 of their last 16.

Luke Walton looked like he was trying, as when he benched a healthy D’Angelo Russell after he scored 28 against Memphis for the next game against the Spurs, but couldn’t keep the Lakers from going on that winning streak with an 8.9 percent better chance of keeping two No. 1s — both potentially in the lottery — at stake.

The fans got it if the Lakers didn’t. After the Lakers beat the Spurs, Thomas Robinson told our Mark Medina that fans got on him on Twitter for damaging their chances in the lottery.

If Magic has zero experience with tanking, they have been prone to this kind of managerial passivity right along.

I hated seeing GM Mitch Kupchak take the rap for working closely with Jim Buss when he had no choice in the matter. Nevertheless, four-square as Mitch was, gaming the system wasn’t something he did naturally, as in the 2013-14 season when the Lakers, 18-25 at the All-Star break, played it straight the rest of the way with Mike D’Antoni coaching for his job, coming in sixth-worst at 27-55 when a bottom-three finish might have gotten them Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid instead of Julius Randle.

If Magic lacks Mitch’s experience, he’s a decisive guy who’s not above gaming the system or turning it into a cocked hat if it gives the Lakers an edge.

This wasn’t merely about an edge. With a thin-enough chance at 55.8 percent, this was all-important. All Lakerdom will feel their agony if their 46.9 percent chance doesn’t come in at the May 16 lottery.

These days the Lakers don’t even do no-brainers, like inviting Jerry West back in a consultant’s role like the one he has with the Warriors. A Lakers insider told me it’s not happening … even though the Lakers are aware West would love to be asked back.

The reason cited isn’t much different than what Jim Buss felt: They don’t think they need West.

A) They’re wrong, and B) even if they’re right, they could only gain by having West in the conversation.

It remains to be seen just what the Lakers will do. In any case, between now and May 16, they had all better start praying.

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Coachella 2017: Radiohead sounds good when the sound works

Radiohead sounded great on the main stage during their headlining set in Friday — at least they did when you could hear them.

In perhaps the worst sound snafu ever for such a prominent slot at the desert music fest the sound cut out entirely for large parts of “Full Stop,” “15 Step” and “Let Down” – three of the first seven numbers in
Radiohead’s set.

The crowd groaned each time but because the band play with in-ear sound monitors they had little idea what was happening into the end of each song. After leaving the stage twice briefly things seemed to get
back on track nearly an hour into the set.

Radiohead’s show started slowly, with newer tunes such as “Daydreaming,” lovely with its piano part played by Jonny Greenwood, and “Desert Island Disk,” a pretty number built around singer Thom Yorke’s voice and acoustic guitar.

Older numbers in the first hour such as “Airbag” off the “OK Computer” album and “Street Spirit (Fade Out) got big responses from the crowd.

Radiohead has played Coachella three times now and while they were big draws in past years the changing tastes of festival fans, and programmers, saw them get one of their smallest crowds here. The dance
music In the Sahara tent — with Empire of the Sun and Dillon Francis slotted opposite Radiohead – surely drew a big chunk of fans away from the main stage.

And its their loss for not being there because this is one the great bands of the past two decades, emotionally complex, musically challenging, and when the sound system cooperates a true delight to see and hear.

Midnight passed and we’d gone six whole songs without any more sound issues, knock wood, and the set is finally as it should be with glorious takes on “There There” and “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi” as Saturday arrived.

Near the end of the set, just before launching into “Creep,” Yorke commented, “A funny thing happened on the way to the festival tonight – no it didn’t.”

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Easter Bunnies welcome. Dogs and cats, not so much

Along with spring flowers, the season may also bring adorable animals into your home. Who can resist a cuddly puppy, playful kitten, or sweet baby bunny? When that irresistible bundle of fur becomes a member of your family, you may be interested to know there is no specific limit to the number of bunnies you can keep at your house, according to what I can gather from the Orange County Animal Services website.

Same thing for birds, snakes, turtles, fish and guinea pigs.

However, there are some limits when it comes to dogs and cats.  Let’s take a look at the guidelines, rules, and constraints regarding keeping mammals, reptiles, arachnids.

The county allows three animals total, dogs, cats or combo of dogs and cats. Once you exceed these limits, you must apply for a license (often called a kennel license).

According to recorded information on their phone line, the county animal services currently supports the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Lake Forest, Midway City, Orange, Placentia, Rossmoor, San Juan Capistrano, Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda and all unincorporated areas in the county.

Be careful, though. If you live within the boundaries of other cities, differing city rules will prevail.

But wait, it gets more complicated.  If your home has a homeowners’ association (HOA,) they may have their own rules regarding the number and type of pets you can keep at home. You must check the covenants, conditions, and restrictions for your HOA to determine pet rules.  HOA rules prevail.

A representative from Mission Viejo Animal Services, which serves Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, and Rancho Santa Margarita, said there is no limit to other “domestic” animals such as rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, birds, iguanas, tarantulas, or bearded dragons.

However, if your collection of uncontrolled critters becomes a public nuisance (via excessive noise or foul odors), a law enforcement officer may pay you a visit to check out your situation.  They judge on a case by case basis and are looking at the specifics of the public nuisance, as well as signs of humane (or inhumane) treatment of the animals, to determine the indicated course of action.

As with any pet you keep at home, if a bunny recently joined your family, be sure to have a plan for proper care, be aware of whose rules you need to follow, and be courteous to your neighbors.

Please note, ferrets are illegal in the state of California.

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Four O.C. attorneys disbarred by the state

During the month of February, four Orange County attorneys were disbarred by the State Bar of California as a result of misconduct.

The state bar provided the following explanations for the disciplinary action:

Dean Robert Kitano, 64, Santa Ana: He was disbarred Feb. 19 for failing to report a fraud against him, making false representations, seeking to mislead a judge or financial officer and engaged in acts involving moral turpitude.

ING Radiology Medical Center, a company he created, entered into a 50-50 partnership with Mir Akhorli to create an MRI facility in Long Beach.

Akhorli entered into another 50-50 partnership for the same facility. The new partner eventually wanted to sell but Akhorli would not sell his share. Akhorli was also sued by an investor of another MRI facility and the Long Beach MRI facility was shut down as a result.  Kitano claimed ING, not Akhorli, was the co-owner.

It was the first time the new partner heard about ING’s involvement. Kitano was found liable for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud by concealment, fraud by intentional misrepresentation and a violation of the Uniform Transfer Act. An appeals court reversed the breach of fiduciary finding.

Robert G. Scurrah Jr., 69, Tustin: He was disbarred Feb 4. and charged with not filing a declaration of compliance, required because of a prior suspension for collecting upfront fees in nine loan modification issues. The State Bar Court found that he violated a consumer protection law prohibiting advance fees for those services.

Rachelle Shalom Visconte, 45, Rancho Santa Margarita: She was disbarred Feb. 4 after two criminal convictions that included possession of a controlled substance and of drug paraphernalia, making a fictitious check, burglary, possession of a completed check with intent to defraud and identity theft.

Lawrence Allan Moy, 50, Irvine: He was disbarred Feb. 10 because he engaged in misconduct in five personal injury cases. In one, he misappropriated $33,333 in settlement funds in his client’s trust account and failed to give him an accounting of $50,000 in settlement proceeds.

In other matters, he did not maintain client settlement proceeds, misappropriated money, did not communicate with clients and commingled personal funds in a client’s trust account. He was ordered to pay $48,649 plus interest.

Two local attorneys were suspended or placed on probation in February. They were:

  • William West Seegmiller (66, Newport Beach)
  • Scott Bunker Hayward (57, Santa Ana)
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