This Should Be Our Focus

[eckoner]

Kwame sucks as a starter playing major minutes, absolutely.


But coming off the bench for 15 mins a night? Getting paid the vet's min? You'd be crazy to pass that up.

I could not agree more! As a starter making 9 mill he sucks lemons but as a backup making the vets min he's a good bench/role player and i would love to have him back in the role as long as he never trys to shoot the ball

[JimMurray]

JimMurray, good post. Question: would you rather have Kwame than say Alonzo Mourning?

I understand that Kwame would be familiar with the program, but he lacks the professionalism and confidence to really be trusted with crunch time minutes. Though I wouldn't be opposed to resigning him, I actually thought at one point last year Kwame was our x-factor. That year he was defensively a game changer. After his injury he never returned to form, I don't know, maybe he will be back this year.

Just wondered if there was a reason Zo wasn't on your list. Let's hope whoever we get, we can get for cheap.

Absolutely I'd rather have Mourning, the problem is, at this stage in his career he's not looking to relocate. He's said numerous times that if he comes back, it will be with the Heat. Also, he just had another procedure done to his knee and is not expected to be ready before the start of training camp. With Kwame, you know what your gonna get, and we don't need him to be a leader anymore than we need Chris Mihm to be a leader. We just want somebody there who won't get pushed around who can pull down 4-6 boards in 12 minutes a night.

BUT, if Mourning could be persuaded to come across country to L.A., and he could be ready by December to play, it's Mourning all the way for me.

[JimMurray]

Kurt Thomas is most likely returning to the Spurs
viewtopic.php?t=823118

Kwame Brown has received interest from the Bucks and Heat

The Celtics have shown that they would like to keep James Posey, and the Hornets have been trying to pick him up as well

IMO it would not be the most reasonable thing to believe that Zo will leave the Heat

The bottom line is there are 29 teams that would like to add players as well and they have the same amount of money (if not significantly more) to offer.... We should look to re-sign our own players before trying to steal others and, if worse comes to worse, we can ship out our re-signed players later

Yeah, you're right. But we're not resigning Turiaf at 4 million a year, so he needs to be replaced. I think we'll give Sasha as much as a mid level deal, but not more. Yes, other teams are coveting the players that we need, that's why it's our job to get on the ball and use the potential for our success next season as a key motivator for luring players to L.A.. If we offer the same money, there is no reason why we can't get FA's to choose our team over somebody else. That's part of the formula to building a good team, the FO's ability to sell their program to free agents.

[JimMurray]

Kwame was the X-factor, To win he must be on the floor but playing for the other team.
Did you guys watch the same games I did?
Commen sence says Kwame sucks. Every anaylist says he sucks. When Laker fans said they liked him I figured they were bias. Now he is gone and you guys still like him so I ask what the hell is up with you guys?

We liked him because when you look past his offensive deficiencies, you saw a tough physical defender who was our "enforcer". If you remember during the games Kwame played when Bynum was the starter, he was PERFECT. We didn't need him to score, he played high intensity defense that complimented Bynum perfectly. He was in his most natural role. It wasn't until we asked him to play 35+ minutes a night that all his deficiencies were put in the spot light. You can't ask a player like Kwame to produce offensively, and still play at the same level defensively...you just can't.

If his focus is strictly on defense, he's money, and that's why he's receiving interest from the Bucks and the Heat. That's why he should also be receiving our interest. When he's on, he was better defensively than any of the low post players the Lakers had last year. Trust me on this one, Kwame would compliment the Lakers nicely on the bench in a 10 minute a night role.

[dmbc07]

Ok, im all for sending odom for artest & Ke. Thomas
resign sasha for 5 yr(21 ml)
dont match ronny
sign kurt thomas to bi annual exception(was really hoping for mourning but you know)
Send radman to philly for evans(3 more years at 4 mil)they desperately need a shooter he can play the 3 or the 4..it helps with the luxury tax, gives us another big body because bynum and gasol are somewhat injury prone, and he brings the energy turiaf gave us..

bynum/ku. thmoas/mihm
gasol/ku. thomas/evans
artest/ariza/walton
kobe/sasha
fish/farmar

inactive(karl/crawford/ke.thomas)

we would have artests bird rights..sign him 4 year/39 mil
let kenny thomas expire just to get under the taxor he could be sooo valuable as a 2010 expiring contract


ok the bynum,gasol,kurt thomas and evans rotation is solid(defenders veterans scorers, midrange

after artest needs a break, phil could go with ariza for defense, luke for playmaking, sasha and kobe for shooting and spacing

fish farmar and vujacic can rotate the point with maybe a buyout of a third string point, a combo guard to backup farmar and vujacic would be the best

this team is easily doable with thomas coming after he saw us beat san anotonio and the odom and vlad rad trade

i dont want sasha to pull a luke on us

and this team is the perfect blend of veterans, shooters, defenders, experince in playoffs, youth, and leader ship..

what do you guys think???