The Lakers are back...and so are the rumors

The NBA season is back! The actual CBA is not officially signed yet, but it should be signed by this Friday and then the season will be ready to begin. Since word came out that there was going to be a season, the rumor mill started flying, just like any other off season. And just like any other off season, the Lakers are involved in some of the biggest rumors out there in the NBA Universe.

Each offseason, every team tries to improve their chances to reach the NBA Finals and win the championship. The :Lakers have reached the finals three times in the last four years and won the title twice out of those three years they were there. Last year when the playoffs came around, fatigue had set in with the Lakers. They did not play up to the championship level that they had in past playoffs. They played six hard fought games in the first round, beating the Chris Paul led Hornets 4-2. Next up they played the Dallas Mavericks. Going into the series, on paper, the Mavericks seemed like a team that would fall to the Lakers, like they had in the past. But Dallas proved a lot of people wrong, sweeping the Lakers in four games. One of the only NBA analyst to declare the Mavs would be the Lakers was Charles Barkley. He even said they would win the NBA title, which they went on to do when they beat the Miami Heat.

When the Lakers lost, a lot of things were questioned with the team. They were called old. They are a very veteran team with their two leaders, Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant, both having 15 years of experience. Next Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom both have 12 years of experience, with Pau Gasol rounding out the veterans with 10 years. The team's only real young key piece is Andrew Bynum. But he has knees of a banged up veteran, having had two different knee surgeries - one on each- and then had surgery to fix a torn meniscus and strained Achilles tendon that he sustain in the 2010 NBA Finals against the Celtics - which the Lakers won.

Trust issues were brought up. Bynum said a couple times during the playoffs that the Lakers team did not trust each other. Gasol's toughness was questioned. The argument was brought back up that he was soft and couldn't compete with the bigger, tougher centers of the league. People also said the Lakers needed a better point guard, someone better than Fisher and Steve Blake, who proved to be a bust and not worth the money of his contract.

This offseason, the very short and quick offseason that it is, has two top 10 current players linked to being traded to the Lakers. Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, are both targeted by the Lakers. Espn stated that everyone on the Lakers except Bryant is tradabl, which is understandable. Kobe is the face of the Lakers, no one wants to see him traded. If the Lakers were able to some how pull of a trade for both players, then they would join the ranks of the so called "Super Teams" - which include the Miami Big 3, the Knick's Big 3 and the original Big 3 of the most recent history, the Celtics. The team would basically become Kobe, CP3 and Howard and a bunch of contract fillers. But the three of them would be a team that could win a title no matter what.

Paul really wants to go to the Knicks, but the Hornets won't do that trade because they won't get any good pieces back. From the ESPN reports, both the Hornets and Magic want Bynum over Gasol and may even want Odom thrown in and the Lakers to take one of their bad contracts. Right now, looking at the current Laker line-up, if the Lakers could pull off the trade Bynum for Howard straight up, the should do it. Howard is a better center than Bynum and Bynum wants a team of his own, which the Magic would be. If the Lakers had Kobe and Howard, they wouldn't need a point guard like CP3. There wouldn't be enough points or possessions to go between the three. But a point guard like Fisher would be good. He can run the floor like any young guy in the league. He is known for his spot up shooting at the 3 point line. He can still pass and with his 15 year experience, he knows how to read a defense.

Both CP3 and Howard would improve the Lakers. If the Lakers got CP3, then Gasol would turn into the center and the Lakers would lose a center and power forward. If a trade like one of these is to work and it depleted the team, then the trade may not be worth it. The Lakers don't have much money as is, so they would no be able to add too many good pieces to this deadly tandem.

The current line-up of Fisher, Kobe, Peace, Gasol and Bynum could and should contend for a title. Peace is past his prime and is a shell of his former self. The Lakers have an amnesty clause and it should be used on him. Upgrade Odom to small forward or give Ebanks a chance to earn some minutes and playing time. He was compared to Trevor Ariza, maybe he could become a player like that, the spark that Ariza was during that first title run. Another candidate for the amnesty clause would be Steve Blake. He did not work out and there were better point guards out there last year. There is a new offense this season, but his contract money could be used for a better guard, that can get to the rim along with shoot and pass. Blake did not do any of that real well this season.


ESPN has reported that the Lakers are going to offer Jason Kapono, a sharp shooter who has won the 3 point contest and has career adverages of 43% at the 3 point line and 6.9 points per a game. Last season he was lost on the Sixers bench, but he could find a nice home with the Lakers, adding to their 3 point shooting - which they lacked very much. Kapono could play both the shooting guard and small forward, giving some rest for Bryant and even play some minutes with him, spreading the floor, especially if Fisher gets his 3 point touch back.

ESPN also listed that Leon Powe and Rashad McCants were at the Laker's training facility practicing. Powe is a smaller power forward, but he could help fill a void at back up power forward that Derrick Caracter didn't play very well. Powe is only 6'8", but he is aggressive and is a tough nose player, which is why he was with the Celtics, they liked his toughness. McCants could be that spark off the bench if Shannon Brown leaves. McCants won't be as good as Brown, but he can score, he proved that in college and in Minnesota when he was on the Timberwolves. He is not much of a passer, but Odom could run the offense with the second unit, like he did the past year. There are better free agent guards out there, but McCants wants to be a Laker and he is a major improvement over Blake. The Lakers are still in need for a backup center, someone who can give a solid 10-15 minutes a night, something that Theo Ratliff couldn't do, which wore out Bynum and Gasol even more. A player like Josh McRoberts, who played with the Pacers last season and had a good season, would be a great guy for the Laker's bench. His name has been mentioned to being on the Lakers Radar. But also right now, almost any player could be attached to the Lakers.

Right now the current place of the Lakers, if Kapono comes in with the current roster, and a player like McRoberts is signed, the Lakers will definitely be considered for a title. Any team with Kobe Bryant is in the discussion and he isn't the type of player that forgets easily, he will be the Black Mamba all season long and he will drive this team.