What Lakers need to do.
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:04 pm
Hey, just want to say hello to everyone and give my take on the Lakers. They are ok at this point, certainly not great as most of us thought they would be, but it is fine, patience is what we all need. Patience, and they will get there, it could be february or even march, but they will get there. Coaching changes, injures, new players, combination of all these things makes it harder for guys to adapt.
Most of you here want to trade Gasol, it is not gonna happen!!! Here are the reasons:
1) Dwight Howard effect, if he leaves in free agency and the Lakers have traded Gasol it would be a devastating loss for the francise. Pau at this point is (as a great player as he is) a sort of insurance for the Lakers in case Dwight is gone. If Dwight resigns in July, Lakers can always trade or even amnesty Pau if they will be looking for ways to save money.
2) It would be incredibly hard to get equal value for Gasol in a trade this season, because of his 2-year deal, his recent injures, and on court struggles. But to get 2, 3 or even 4 role players (probably even bench players) in return for him plus maybe 1 or 2 current Lakers bench warmers, even though these players might fit the system better is not the solution. It will require significant time for them and the team to adjust... Lakers have no time for that anymore, time to win now with what they got.
Lakers big 4 simply need time to gel, to figure it out together, by going through losses that we had, by listening to the critics. And they will get better. We (Lakers) got what we need in terms of main talent, we are simply 2 maybe 3 role players away from the championship, and the management and ownership understand that. The problem is how to get these 2-3 pieces. Money is definitely a concern (if it wasn't they would have waived couple of bench guys and signed D.West and Raja Bell and or others who were available earlier), lack of future draft picks doesn't help it either to make a trade. It is also important to understand that no one wants to help the Lakers, NO ONE.
But who do we really need to get us to another level? We need two perimeter players (better if they are defensive minded), who can also shoot 3's. These players will have to have 1 year deals only. Lakers do not want to carry over contracts to the next year when luxury tax will be enormous. We are fine with point guards, power forwards and centers, considering that all are healthy. So who are these players that management is looking for?
1. Raja Bell (very likely, he gets his buyout and signs with us) 2. Reggie Williams (likely) 3. Omri Casspi (very likely) 4. Martel Webster (very likely) 5. Corey Brewer (number 1 choice, although very unlikely Denver makes a trade) 6. Daequan Cook (likely) and that is it. Our players who will go out in trades : Morris, Johnson-Odom, Ebanks and Clark.
Once again no major trade will be made, just 2 small ones plus Raja Bell signing, and we will be fine. Patience is the right word for this team. Looking forward to your remarks.
Most of you here want to trade Gasol, it is not gonna happen!!! Here are the reasons:
1) Dwight Howard effect, if he leaves in free agency and the Lakers have traded Gasol it would be a devastating loss for the francise. Pau at this point is (as a great player as he is) a sort of insurance for the Lakers in case Dwight is gone. If Dwight resigns in July, Lakers can always trade or even amnesty Pau if they will be looking for ways to save money.
2) It would be incredibly hard to get equal value for Gasol in a trade this season, because of his 2-year deal, his recent injures, and on court struggles. But to get 2, 3 or even 4 role players (probably even bench players) in return for him plus maybe 1 or 2 current Lakers bench warmers, even though these players might fit the system better is not the solution. It will require significant time for them and the team to adjust... Lakers have no time for that anymore, time to win now with what they got.
Lakers big 4 simply need time to gel, to figure it out together, by going through losses that we had, by listening to the critics. And they will get better. We (Lakers) got what we need in terms of main talent, we are simply 2 maybe 3 role players away from the championship, and the management and ownership understand that. The problem is how to get these 2-3 pieces. Money is definitely a concern (if it wasn't they would have waived couple of bench guys and signed D.West and Raja Bell and or others who were available earlier), lack of future draft picks doesn't help it either to make a trade. It is also important to understand that no one wants to help the Lakers, NO ONE.
But who do we really need to get us to another level? We need two perimeter players (better if they are defensive minded), who can also shoot 3's. These players will have to have 1 year deals only. Lakers do not want to carry over contracts to the next year when luxury tax will be enormous. We are fine with point guards, power forwards and centers, considering that all are healthy. So who are these players that management is looking for?
1. Raja Bell (very likely, he gets his buyout and signs with us) 2. Reggie Williams (likely) 3. Omri Casspi (very likely) 4. Martel Webster (very likely) 5. Corey Brewer (number 1 choice, although very unlikely Denver makes a trade) 6. Daequan Cook (likely) and that is it. Our players who will go out in trades : Morris, Johnson-Odom, Ebanks and Clark.
Once again no major trade will be made, just 2 small ones plus Raja Bell signing, and we will be fine. Patience is the right word for this team. Looking forward to your remarks.
