Preseason starts tomorrow...

This week the Lakers will play their first game of team ball. Tomorrow night marks the first of two preseason games, both against the LA Clippers. The Lakers will have a real test for their hold overs from last year and for their newly signed players when they play newly traded Chris Paul and the Clippers. 

The Clippers are now being regarded as the team to beat in LA since they landed Chris Paul in the only blockbuster trade of this year's quick off season. They have also brought in another top point guard in Chauncey Billups, who they claimed off the waiver wire. Reports on ESPN said Billups will move to the two guard position, which may make things difficult for two point guards that are very similar to play together on the court at the same time. They might work things out, but it may take a season to work the kinks out. Or Billups might move on after this season, to another contender for a title, something he said he wanted to go to before being claimed. The Clippers also added Caron Butler, one of the most sought after free agents this year, who before his surgery last season was an excellent scorer and has career averages of 16.6 points a game and 31% at the three-point line. Adding those three top level players with the likes of Blake Griffin, who is a dunking machine, will make the Clippers the more exciting team in LA, with all of the alley-oops and power dunks, but the experience and championship rings point to the older, veteran club in the Lakers. Plus with the Lakers also have the best player in the league, with Kobe Bryant, a player who is just as hungry as he was when he one his first title. Also, after last year's sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, he is ready to prove he is not over the hill and that they deserve another ring.

The Lakers have lost two key pieces from their two championship teams from a couple years ago with Shannon Brown signing with the Phoenix Suns and more importantly Lamar Odom, who was traded to the defending Dallas Mavericks after requesting a trade because the Lakers tried trading him to the Hornets. Both when were the Lakers bench last season, adding that spark to the offense when it was lacking. Odom was an everything man who will not and can not be replaced by any of the players that the Lakers signed this season. He could play every position, shoot, rebound, run the offense, and had the skill set of a point guard, but was a 6'10" forward. Both of those players will help their new teams out more than those teams will realize until the season gets into full swing. The players the Lakers signed will have a tough time replacing Brown and Odom, but in Mike Brown's new offsense, players may be able step up in different ways.

The newly signed Lakers that look to have a solid role on this year's team are Jason Kapono, Josh McRoberts, draft pick Darius Morris and possibly recently signed Troy Murphy.

Jason Kapono photo
courtesy of AOLnews

Jason Kapono was the first "big" sign for the Lakers. They added the three point specialist who holds a career  average of 43% at the three point line. He was lost in the shuffle last season when he played for the Sixers, playing in 24 games total and only going one for eight at the three point line. As a two time Three Point Champion at the All-Star weekend, Kapono brings his sweet three ball to a team that lacked three pointers last season. The Lakers will probably have Kapono play the back up two guard position, but will also work him into the line-up with Kobe, Bynum and Gasol. Brown has stated in interviews that his plan is to make teams double team his three superstars, that it will leave guys like Kapono open on the three point line to knock down the open shots. If he can play a solid 20 minutes, adding three pointers and helping bring the team ball effort forth on the second unit, he will be well worth the one year, $1.2 million dollar contract. If he doesn't, he could be good trade bait as an expiring contract.

Josh McRoberts. Photo courtesy of mcroberts blog.

The second signing of significance for the Lakers could also be a source of criticism for them. They brought in former Indiana Pacer Josh McRoberts to play the back-up big man role that was formally Odom's. Both players are 6'10" but "McBob" can not be compared to Odom, no one can be. No on can replace Odom. But "McBob" brings in size and the ability to bang around the big guys of the west. Last season was a break out season for the fifth year veteran, where he averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. He can also space the floor, as last season he had an average of 38% at the three-point line. He won't be depended on his three point shot, but if he is open to take them, he should. He will start the first five games for the Lakers, since Bynum will be serving his suspension, so he will be able to gain momentum and confidence in this new offense and new surroundings. Also after the first five games, he will have established himself to his teammates that they will be able to trust him as a player. He did take all of the Lakers "mini mid-level exception" for two years and about $6 million dollars. This signing should work for the Lakers because it helps solidify their bench and fill the void left by Odom. But, and this is a big but, "McBob" can not compete with what Odom left for a legacy, it just won't work, he is his own player.

Darius Morris. Photo from ESPN

Draft pick Darius Morris, the 41st selection out of Michigan, has a chance to be the second string point guard for this Lakers team. He is a 6'4" guard, who is known for his passing ability and defense, something Coach Brown is preaching on. During the 2010-2011 season at Michigan, Morris averaged 15 points and 6.7 assists, along with a steal a game. With a mentor like Derek Fisher and playing with the greatest player in the league, Kobe Bryant, he couldn't be worse off. He will have to earn his minutes, but he could compete with Steve Blake for minutes and if he keeps growing and becoming an NBA point guard, it would make Blake expendable. The two preseason games against the Clippers will be a good test for him, to see where he is at and where he will stand in the point guard rotation. Even if Morris doesn't break into the full rotation this year, he can gain experience and he comes cheap, where next year he will be more valuable to the team. Even when he was drafted, GM Mitch Kupchak said Morris was a steal at the 41st pick and that they were excited to draft him. For a GM to say that about a player in the second round, it means they are willing to see how this player will grow and hopefully become a full time NBA point guard and a fixture with the Lakers.

Troy Murphy. Photo from nj.com

The latest player signed by the Lakers was a former double-double machine in Troy Murphy. Last season he was not himself. He was hit by injuries during the preseason and he wasn't able to get back into shape. He said on Lakers.com that he is back to 100% and ready to help out the Lakers. If he is back to the game shape that he was when he played for the Pacers, he will be able to help the Lakers second unit. He can hit the three point shot, take it inside and rebound extremely well. The Lakers didn't bring him in to the the second option, he will be behind Bynum, Gasol, "McBob," and Caracter, when he returns from surgery. Murphy will probably be playing for the Lakers come opening night, because of Bynum's suspension, but after those five games, it will determine the amount of time will be used on Murphy. If he can rebound and hit the open shot, along with spread out the floor, he should be able to earn a good 15 to 20 minutes of playing time. The Lakers didn't use too much money on him, as they only signed him for one year and around one million dollars. If it doesn't work, the Lakers didn't waste that much money, but still have a big body to give the starters a rest. If he is back to his old game form, or close to it, then they struck gold. He will be a major step up from the likes of Theo Ratliff, who played one season too long and Joe Smith, who was in the same boat as Ratliff.

With the new additions to the Lakers, it solidifies their "mob" bench, as they were nicknamed during their title run a couple years ago. Metta World Peace will be the anchor on the bench, as Brown said he was going to start Matt Barnes or Devin Ebanks and move World Peace to the bench to run the offense and defense through him. With a bench that if filled with the likes of Morris, Kapono, World Peace, Ebanks (if Barnes starts), McBob and Murphy, they have a solid bench they could help rest the starters and even provide a nice spark that they lack. Will these players replace Odom, no but it is a step in the right direction and their are enough of them to even bring more collectively to the team than just Odom and Brown.

Only time will tell and tomorrow the Lakers will find out in the preseason against the Clippers.

Lakers...day before the Frenzy starts

It is the last day before the crazy "offseason" of the NBA begins. Rumors are still flying around the league about what free agents are going where and what blockbuster trades are going to take place before the season kick off on Christmas day. As per every other season, the Lakers are on the forefront of the rumors.

The Chris Paul and Dwight Howard to California talk is still going strong. As of this morning, the Lakers and Celtics are leading the pack for CP3, at least according to ESPN. CP3 has said that he would not sign a contract extension with the Boston Green and White, which would not worth the time for the Celtics. They have an All-Star point guard with Rajon Rondo who wants to be the Celts, even after all the trade talk about shipping him off for CP3. Rondo is a triple threat when it comes to his game. He is a premier passer, a good defender and an effective rebounder. His one big fault is his shooting touch, something that CP3 has down, along with all the qualities listed about Rondo. But if CP3 is going to pull a one and done deal, like the current trend with college stars, then Boston is better off to build around Rondo and Jeff Green, their only other young piece that is also a proven player from his days with the Thunder. ESPN even has a poll for fans to answer, asking whether or not Boston should trade Green, Rondo and draft picks for Chris Paul without assurance Paul would stay around. As of 9:41 a.m., the poll had 5,255 votes, with 79% saying no.

Chris Paul. Photo courtesy of
blogs.hoopshype.com

That leaves the Lakers as the destination for the the all star point guard Paul. The Lakers also have quality pieces that would help the Hornets. Bynum for CP3, straight up, would be ideal. The Lakers wouldn't empty their team for one player, like the Celtics did when they traded for Kevin Garnett. But if Bynum winds up with  the Hornets, then Emeka Okafor, who is in line to make close to $40 million over the next three seasons, is on the outs. Okafor wouldn't be a good fit with the Lakers and his contract would be too big to take on for them. So a third team would have to be brought in so the Hornets could dump Okafor and maybe even get a few more extra pieces to add to their team.

If the Lakers have to use Bynum and/or Gasol and Odom in any form of two for one, or even all three to get just CP3 and filler, then the Lakers are crazy. If the Lakers keep all three big men, then they will still have one of the biggest lineups with all three of them are at or close to the seven foot mark (Odom is listed at 6'10" and he can play all five positions without a problem). If they could pull some sort of straight up deal and maybe even bring a third team in to help both sides, then the Lakers should go for it. But if they can't, then they should keep with the team they have and go from their. Any team with a combo of three seven footers and Kobe Bryant, should be a contender for the title. Plus they are all healthy and rested up, something they haven't been at the beginning of the season in the last three years.

The only other news from the Lakers camp is that, according to both Yahoo Sports and ESPN, Jason Kapono will be a Laker this coming season. Will he be the answer to all the Lakers' problems with their weak bench? No. Will he fill the void left by Shannon Brown, who looks to be leaving? No. But he does bring three point shooting, something the Lakers lacked last season. He can give Bryant some rest, which he will need with the hectic game schedule, and he can even help in crunch time. It was stated by a fan on a forum on ESPN that Kapono is one in the same with Luke Walton. Walton, who has been hampered by injuries the last couple of seasons, is much more of a point forward. He can read an offense when he is playing and has been a great passer since he camp into the league. Walton can also be considered a spot up shooter, but he doesn't score much, as he is much more of a facilitator. Both of them could have spots on the roster, as both bring different attributes to the team.

Darius Morris. Photo courtesy of Michiganreview.com

If or when Shannon Brown leaves for greener pastures, the Lakers need to look into a backup point guard who can offer what Brown did, that spark off the bench. Also a player that can distribute the ball while at the point would be ideal for the Lakers' second unit. They have been linked to Jose Juan Barea, the Dallas Maverick's guard that took the cheap shot from Bynum in Game 4 of last years playoffs. Do the Lakers have enough money for him, probably not, but they do have their "mini" mid-level exception, which would be worth  about $9 million over three years. Would a player like Barea be worth that contract on a team like the Lakers, when the Lakers also need to fill the void of a back up center. The Lakers did draft two guards, Darius Morris, a 6'4" Michigan product, and Andrew Goudelock, a 6'3" Charleston product. Both come cheaper and easier than selling a guy on joining the Lakers. Morris could be a good point guard, espicially with Derek Fisher as a mentor. Morris averaged 6.7 assists while he played at Michigan and he can shoot. If given his chance he could blossom into a point guard that fills the point guard position. He may even challenge Fisher for the starting position or even started minutes, depending on the situations in the game.

With all that said, tomorrow will be a day all Laker fan's have been waiting for since the blowout last season. Questions should start to be answered and things should start to fall into place for the Lakers. Until then, fans will keep playing different scenarios in their heads trying to make the best team they can to win the title this year.

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.