Hypothetical: If Dwight Stays, Now What?

[Tiesto_Lakers]

Hypothetically, let's say Dwight stays and Houston doesn't find a way to trade for Josh Smith. What do we do with our roster? IMO, and this is pointing out the obvious, our team was slow last year. Metta playing the 3 doesn't help, but Kobe playing the 3 sure does (when he returns).

I would look at Nick Young and Delfino as potential backup G/F candidates, and I know Mitch has reached out to them already. If they sign elsewhere, I'd go for Fran Garcia to fill that position. Hopefully Clark would re-sign and if he doesn't, the Lakers may look at BJ Mullens as the backup PF. I don't like Mullens because he's a chucker if there ever was one. So here's how I would want our team to look:

G - Nash/Blake
G - Meeks/Young, Delfino, or Garcia
F - Bryant/Peace
F - Gasol/Clark or Mullens/Kelly
C - Howard/Hill/Sacre

I would start MWP at SF against bigger, stronger lineups such as Brooklyn or OKC. It's all about matchups. I would even consider starting Blake at SG against the quick, trigger-happy teams such as Golden State or Memphis.

[tviper]

If D12 stays, MWP will almost certainly be waived via the amnesty provision. In addition, Gasol will likely be traded to a team with cap space to absorb some of the salary and send back a PF and/or SF. It looks like CLE is going to offer Clark more than the Lakers are willing to offer, so he is likely gone. Regarding the available exceptions, the Lakers have the taxpayer midlevel@3.183M and a trade exception for Eyenga@1.174M. Depending on what comes back in the Gasol trade, I could see both exceptions being used to sign high%3pt shooters.

Seems like CLE is a pretty good fit for Gasol, given the willingness to trade Thompson, the use of the #1 pick on Bennett, and the fact that Gasol is expiring so it keeps open the Lebron returning possibilities. Something like:

Pau for Thompson, CJ Miles, Gee, 2014 1st (from Sac)

So the roster could look like:

1-Nash/Blake
2-Meeks/Miles
3-KB24/Gee/FA
4-Thompson/FA
5-D12/Hill/Sacre

[denimourson]

Get wing shooters this year on 1yr contracts then get a max contract player next year or move on 2 2015

[ak7]

I cannot see them trading Gasol without upgrading the 2 while Kobe is out whether that be by a Gasol trade or free agency.

[Admiral C]

Gasol isn't being traded

management is stupid enough and delusional enough to think Pau and Dwight being a terrible fit last year was just "bad luck"

[Tiesto_Lakers]

I cannot see them trading Gasol without upgrading the 2 while Kobe is out whether that be by a Gasol trade or free agency.

I thought Mitch was looking to trade Gasol all of the last year to no avail. It may change this year though, as tviper said above, he has an expiring contract. I don't see Cleveland trading Thompson though---I bet they'd offer us Varajeo instead. Would you guys take him? He also has an expiring contract and our defense would be much better with him over Gasol.

[tviper]

I cannot see them trading Gasol without upgrading the 2 while Kobe is out whether that be by a Gasol trade or free agency.

I thought Mitch was looking to trade Gasol all of the last year to no avail. It may change this year though, as tviper said above, he has an expiring contract. I don't see Cleveland trading Thompson though---I bet they'd offer us Varajeo instead. Would you guys take him? He also has an expiring contract and our defense would be much better with him over Gasol.

I don't think Andy is expiring, from the numbers I have seen, he has 4M guaranteed in 2014-15. In any event, bad fit next to D12, much like Gasol. If Gasol is traded it will be for a younger player or two that fits better with what MDA wants to do. That is why I said Thompson, but I think Waiters would also be a good fit. Just seems like with the drafting of Bennett, Thompson is more available.

[tviper]

I wonder, with the news that TOR is looking to move Gay for expiring deals, whether a Pau/Gay swap would be interesting to LAL. Yes, it takes away the 2014 FA possibilities, but other than Lebron, who are the Lakers going to sign? If the Lakers don't think they have a shot Lebron, why not wait a year and go after the 2015 FAs instead? I think Gay would be an interesting fit with Nash/KB24/D12, and depending on everyone's health could provide a window into the second round and maybe beyond.

[Dr Aki]

if dwight stays, then i can totally see gasol being traded for capspace/wing depth

seeing as its guaranteed that MWP is getting waived. 30 million in LT savings is too good to pass up not to waive MWP

[dAdo dA dEvil]

if dwight stays i say we get shooters ... that's what we need to space the floor ...

maybe waive MWP or move him to PF spot ...

maybe trade pau for a SF starter caliber or keep pau and play him as a back up C ... i understand pau would like to be a starter so play him at PF at the start of the game and take him out after 8 minutes then put him back when dwight rests and play them together again at the 4th quarter ...

i really hope we could get someone who could start at 3 ... someone who can shoot decently and defend the perimeter ...

[TruSkool]

Waive MWP. Sign Iggy or Granger

[GSwarriors]

Waive MWP. Sign Iggy or Granger

5,000 posts and still dont know the CBA?

[EArl]

Goodbye Gasol, Goodbye MWP.

[CJH248]

With MWP at the 4 and Dwight at the 5, Lakers had a top-3 defense in the league in their minutes together. Just sayin'

[spree8]

With MWP at the 4 and Dwight at the 5, Lakers had a top-3 defense in the league in their minutes together. Just sayin'

Thank you. I am puzzled by the waive MWP posts. What would that accomplish? With Ron at the 4 his 3pt range spaces the floor perfectly for Dwight. Allows him to get his touches in the post and clears out the lane for his pick and roll game. His defensive ability is still damn good, and better suited to the 4 as his lateral quickness has slowed with age. It would be ideal to have him and Dwight at the 4/5 and trade Gasol for a Granger or Rudy as they expire in 2014 and 2015....2015 class is better anyway. Maybe Paul George waits to be unrestricted and then you have KLove there too.

[kblo247]

Goodbye Gasol, Goodbye MWP.

Could be goodbye Blake. Blake has gotten hurt very year and took free money. His stretch of playing well is the outlier not the norm after 3 seasons. They way Dwight and Metta defended, I see it as more goodbye Blake, Hill, Pau, and Clark. Even Meeks is trade throw in material with his salary and a Sasha, Rip, or Cap Stax Jack type looking at the min

[semi-sentient]

I would keep Gasol around, for starters, but I would have a long talk with him about what's best for the team. Pau can not be the starting PF for this team while Dwight is in the middle so my first move is to move him to the bench.

Secondly, I would seriously pursue Odom so that he can start next to Howard. Odom is just as good a passer as Pau, a better rebounder, a better defender, has more range, and is better at setting screens and moving off the ball.

Having a FC rotation of Howard, Odom, and Gasol is similar to what we had when we won our championships and most importantly allows us to conserve the minutes of both Odom and Gasol (especially). At this stage Gasol should be playing less than 30 mpg so that he's not worn out come playoff time so this works extremely well for us.

Third, move Nash to the bench. He's a liability defensively, and like Gasol he needs to see a reduction in minutes. Having Nash and Gasol on the 2nd unit would likely give us the best bench in the league, especially if their surrounded by solid shooting.

That leaves our starting unit.

Blake would start in place of Nash since his only real value is his defense and 3-point shooting. He'd have no problem performing the role of a spot-up shooter.

Kobe slides over to the 3 and becomes the primary initiator on offense which he's fully capable of doing. He'd be more effective defensively as well.

Meeks would then start at the two to provide some additional spacing for Howard and Kobe.

PG: Blake (25 min) / Nash (23 min)
SG: Meeks (32 min) / Kobe (16 min)
SF: Kobe (16 min) / Metta (32 min)
PF: Odom (30 min) / Gasol (18 min) / Hill (garbage time, insurance policy)
C: Howard (36 min) / Gasol (10 min) / Sacre (garbage time, insurance policy)

Having said all that, if we could get Matt Barnes then I would amnesty Metta as he would allow Kobe to play full time at the 3. I would start him at the 2 and give him spot minutes at the 3, then have Meeks come in off the bench. If we hold onto Clark then I would go with the above rotation but replace Metta with him, so either way Metta is the odd man out.

[kblo247]

Thir thir thirty thirty two minutes for Meeks?!

If Pau's bench food, you may as well package Hill and Meeks up to a team for a TPE. Then try and talk Sasha, Garcia, Delfino into taking the cash

[Tiesto_Lakers]

I'd also question bringing Lamar Odom back. The guy just isn't the same anymore and is up there with age. He isn't the Odom from 2009 or 2010. He's a 10/9 guy at best if he's given a lot of minutes---his FG% has also been very bad these past two seasons.

[Danny Darko]

whatever we do should focus on the free agent signings for the big cap year. That should really be the driving force shaping the roster.