This is part one of a two part article. Part one takes a look back at the moves the Lakers made this off-season, and part two will give a 2010-2011 season preview tomorrow.
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has seen great success over the 50+ seasons in Southern California. From the Jerry West days to the “Showtime” era, the Lakers have won multiple championships. However, the team has had trouble dealing the “Green Monster,” Boston Celtics.
Countless failures and Game 7 heartbreaks have been a part of Laker history, the Celtics have historically dominated the Lakers in the Finals. However, last season was a different story, a much different story. June 17th, 2010 was an unforgettable day for all Laker fans, and especially the Laker players and coaches.
Revenge was complete; the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics after losing to them in 2008 and the franchise had finally topped the Celtics in a Game 7 of the Finals. The Lakers won their 16th NBA Championship, and Kobe Bryant added another ring and Finals MVP to his trophy case.
That was June of 2010, and this is now; the 2010-2011 NBA season is about to get underway and the Los Angeles Lakers are poised for a three-peat run. This off-season was an intriguing summer, since the Lakers lost key players but added new players as well.
With the season getting underway on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets, let’s dive into the upcoming season for the Los Angeles Lakers
Next: Off-Season Moves
The entire Laker team took the first few weeks of the off-season relaxing and soaking in their Game 7 victory. A few players went to Johannesburg, South Africa to watch the 2010 World Cup, while the other stayed in the States to celebrate.
The players and coaches had a fun, tension-free beginning of the off season, but the front office had a lot of unfinished business to complete. The first task facing Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss was re-signing Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown, but also bringing back Coach Phil Jackson.
The team clearly wanted all of these individuals back on the squad, but the front office took some time in pursuing them.
Shannon Brown re-signed with the Lakers in mid-July, which pleased many Laker fans and players. Brown brought explosive and energetic play to the team, and gave the Lakers more youth on a fairly “old” team.
Around the same time, the Lakers finally re-signed captain Derek Fisher. Many people were surprised in the delay of the agreement, since Fisher meant so much to the team. There was also speculation that Fisher would sign with the Miami Heat, if the Lakers failed to re-sign him.
LeBron James even picked up Fisher from the airport, and brought him to their meeting. However, at the end of the day, Derek Fisher could not leave the Lakers or Kobe Bryant. Bryant and Fisher came in the league together and have developed a close bond with each other.
Derek Fisher expressed his desire to stay with the Lakers and Kobe on his website. “At the end of the day, there’s one person I could not turn away from. Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made,” Derek later went on to say, “He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids; he has been loyal to me even when others had doubts. We have won five championships together.”
The front office may have re-signed key players, but they also had to deal with a key person on the bench. Rumors and speculations had been surfacing all season long, about whether or not Phil Jackson would return.
After the Lakers won the championship, Phil Jackson had an opportunity to leave the league on top. Without a doubt the team wanted the Zen Master back on the bench, but the process was not that easy.
Kobe Bryant has played for Phil Jackson for many years and has won five NBA championships with him. Kobe Bryant called Jackson in the off season to tell his coach how much he wanted him back.
“It was just to let him know that I want him back.” Bryant told the OC Register. “It was important as he’s making his decision that he knows much I want him back, how much we all want him back – and how much I’ve learned from him.” The countless pleas and begs paid off, as coach Phil Jackson decided to return to the Lakers for another three-peat run.
Next: Off-Season Acquisitions
The Lakers retained key players and kept their hall-of-fame coach, but they lost a few key reserves also. In the off-season Jordan Farmar signed with the New Jersey Nets and Josh Powell also went east as he signed with the Atlanta Hawks.
As for DJ Mbenga, the Lakers did not re-sign him and it took awhile for any team to sign Mbenga. Finally, in mid-October the New Orleans Hornets signed the seven footer to a one-year deal.
The Lakers also lost bench player Adam Morrison, who hardly got any playing time last season. Morrison has yet to find a new home, since many teams are wary of his lack of effectiveness.
The Lakers did not have a lot of cap space entering the 2010 summer, but the front office made many bold moves. With LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade all in the free agency market, not a lot of attention was devoted to the big signings done by the Lakers.
“The Lakers were not as busy as the Miami Heat were in the off season,” said Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times. “But they [Lakers] did a fairly significant amount of moves to bolster their bench
The Lakers signed back-up point guard Steve Blake to a four-year, $16 million dollar deal. Blake would bring in floor leadership, three-point shooting, and will give Derek Fisher much needed rest. Fisher can play limited minutes in the regular season, just so he will be fresh for when the games matter the most in the playoffs.
Last season, Blake shot 43% from the three-point line and averaged 6.8 ppg and 6.1 apg. These numbers were actually better than those put up by Derek Fisher, the starting point guard for the team.
The team also added veteran center Theo Ratliff, in order to provide more support for Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Ratliff has averaged 2.4 blocks per game and 5.7 rebounds per game throughout his career. With the signing of Theo Ratliff, the Lakers have added another defensive minded veteran.
Perhaps the most talked about off season acquisition was the signing of former Magic forward, Matt Barnes. Laker fans got familiar with Matt Barnes after his “fight” with Kobe Bryant in last season’s match in Orlando. Barnes did not back down from Kobe Bryant, and was making Kobe work for every shot.
Matt Barnes told the media that Kobe recruited him to the Lakers, and was very excited to have him on the team.
Kobe Bryant told Barnes, “Anyone crazy enough to mess with me is crazy enough to play with me.” Barnes, a UCLA alum and Californian native, was thrilled to sign with the Lakers, and said it was a dream come true for him.
Barnes told the Los Angeles Times, “It’s like every day is Christmas, it’s definitely a dream come true.” Last season with the Magic, Barnes averaged 7.3 ppg, and 4.4 rpg. His numbers may not by jaw-dropping, but Barnes’ defensive efforts will surely help the Lakers.
In the 2010 NBA Draft, the Lakers drafted Derrick Caracter from University of Texas-El Paso with the 58th pick, and Devin Ebanks from West Virginia with the 43rd pick. Both rookies impressed the Lakers’ staff, and the team decided to sign both of the draftees.
“The Lakers had the 43rd and 58th picks in the draft, and in those cases you don’t get anyone spectacular,” said Mark Medina. “But the team really likes what Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter have brought to the team.”
The Lakers are gearing up for another title run, and they have changed their roster for the better. The following roster will most likely stay this way for opening night on October 26th:
Ron Artest
Matt Barnes
Steve Blake
Shannon Brown
Kobe Bryant
Andrew Bynum
Derrick Caracter
Devin Ebanks
Derek Fisher
Pau Gasol
Lamar Odom
Theo Ratliff
Sasha Vujacic
Luke Walton
Check back tomorrow for a 2010-2011 Lakers’ season preview.