Kobe Bryant is now walking around after his catastrophic Achilles injury.
Pau Gasol underwent a successful regenerative procedure on his knees and is expected to make a full recovery.
Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Metta World Peace are all recovering from their respective injuries as well.
Antawn Jamison–though probably not set to return to the Lakers next season–underwent successful surgery on his wrist.
As for the rest of the Lakers, they basically have one key assignment this summer: get healthy.
It was an unbelievably painful 2012-2013 season for Lakers fans to watch, but even more painful for the players whose bodies simply let them down.
Nobody knows what the future holds for these Lakers or their health in the future, but given the same roster–even at their collective respective advanced age–I still like how the team is built.
It just needs a couple tweaks.
First, the Lakers have to re-sign Dwight Howard, of course.
Then, they have to make the decision to keep Pau Gasol, live with his salary and execute the offense through him more; much as they successfully did towards the end of the season.
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Lakers Nation’s own Mark Heisler recently wrote a piece on how the Lakers remaining the way they are and playing at a slower pace is their best option, and I agree 100 percent.
Kobe Bryant, in his exit interview, also voiced his desire for the Lakers to retain Gasol and Howard; explaining that the team went through so much to finally find a way to play well, and blowing up the team would only make them start over. He also expressed his confidence that if the core of the team were to come back healthy next season, that the Lakers could win a championship.
In a perfect world, is it the best option to keep a core of older players together? Absolutely not.
However, given all of the Lakers’ salary commitments and the way the team is built, attempting to overhaul the team this summer and trying to become a young, fast team simply would fall flat.
The Lakers don’t have many tradable pieces, and even if they got rid of Gasol, nobody knows the quality of players they would get in return. Their best bet is to try and rebuild in 2014, if anything.
Simply put, the Lakers need to commit to an identity this summer, and follow through with it.
Maybe they will trade Gasol and come away with some young, athletic talent; forming a new identity more in line with Mike D’Antoni’s style of play. If they don’t trade him though, they need to decide what kind of team they’ll be, and make the correct adjustments to bolster that.
For much of the 2012-2013 season, there simply was no identity.
Then, after the All-Star break (in which the Lakers went 19-7 or .703), they finally decided they were going to slow the pace, play inside-out more, and it actually worked out well.
It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t cohesive. Shoot, sometimes it was a mystery as to how the Lakers even managed to win a few of those games.
Nonetheless, the Lakers made it work and successfully closed out the regular season, despite a revolving door of injuries to key players.
Next Page: Where The Lakers Must Improve
If the team stays relatively intact, there’s one area in which the Lakers need to improve–the back court.
Plenty fans will comment and say “Mike D’Antoni needs to be fired and the Lakers can improve by gettin
The front court is actually quite well put together, and if healthy, one of the best–if not the best–in the league. Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol developed a bit of chemistry towards the end of the season, which should only grow with time.
Then you have the reserves; even if the Lakers don’t re-sign Antawn Jamison (who played well at times but was inconsistent), they still have Jordan Hill and Earl Clark (Earl is a free agent, but said he would take less money to return to the Lakers).
If Earl can improve his overall game and continue to work on his shooting, ball-handling, finishing at the rim, and defense, he could be the athletic wing player the Lakers so desperately need; as the Lakers certainly could use an extra boost on the wing.
However, the lack of depth in the back court is the most glaring deficiency this offseason.
It’s one reason Kobe Bryant opted to play the majority of minutes towards the end of the season, which proved to simply be too much for his body in his 17th season of play.
I like both Steves (Nash and Blake) complementing each other whether one is on the floor and the other isn’t or whether both are on the floor together, but defensively there is a bit of a problem. Nash was never much of a defender, and at age 39, he’s certainly not getting better. As for Blake, he’s a scrappy defensive player but is often overpowered against elite point guards and undersized against shooting guards.
—- See Steve Nash through the years in photos! —-
Ideally, the Lakers would move one of them and pick up a solid combo guard to spell both guard positions and play around 25-30 minutes, but that’s unlikely to happen.
So, basically what I’m proposing is an upgrade to the backup shooting guard position. I like Jodie Meeks and his hustle, but his shooting is decent (he shot 35.7 percent from behind the three-point line last season), his ball-handling is scary and his attempts at taking the ball to the rack are simply ugly (sorry, Jodie!)
The Lakers have a team option on Meeks, but I’d like to see them try to upgrade at his position.
The Lakers’ options are very limited given their salary commitments and the penalties they will be facing next season, but if they can add a little bit of size, some defense and someone who can get his own shot all in one player, it would drastically improve the Lakers; especially if Kobe Bryant isn’t ready or at full strength to start the season.
If this player could make plays in addition to being able to create his own shot, shoot the long ball and defend, it would be exponentially more beneficial.
In a perfect world, the Lakers would pick up someone like Jamal Crawford or J.R. Smith, but acquiring a player of that caliber simply won’t happen for the Lakers right now (Smith actually has a team option for under $3 million next season, but I’m going to bet the Knicks are going to pick that up), barring a miracle.
Many of the players I’m about to announce are probably unrealistic, but then ask yourself this:
How many times has a player seemed unrealistic to the Lakers, and management somehow got th
There’s the end of the spectrum filled with unreasonable and overly demanding Lakers fans who will scream “Get Chris Paul!” and then those on the other end who are maybe too realistic and take the fun out of articles like this. I’ll try to list some players in the middle of this, and who knows, maybe Mitch Kupchak will somehow work his magic once again.
I’m not going to get into the salary cap issues and how/if each of these could work simply because I am not expert on this stuff, but will rather examine this from a basketball perspective.
Check the next page for some potential free agent possibilities.
Next Page: Free Agent Possibilities
Here’s a list of some free agents to consider, whose names have been thrown around as possible candidates:
Jose Calderon (6’3″ Point Guard, 208 lbs) – This is certainly one on the “dreaming” end of the spectru
Kyle Korver (6’7″ Guard-Forward, 212 lbs) – Korver’s name has been floating around for some time now. He made $5 million last year, but even if the Lakers were to sign him for considerably less, it would still cost them big bucks in taxes. He would certainly add some shooting though, as he converted 45.7 percent of his three-point attempts last season while averaging 10.9 points.
Jarrett Jack (6’3″ Guard, 197 lbs) – This is my personal favorite out of the whole list. Jack is a guy who can make plays (5.5 assists), shoot the ball (40.4 percent from three), play significant minutes (he averaged just under 30 minutes while scoring 12.9 points in the regular season), and has proven in these current playoffs that he’s extremely clutch. He’d be able to spell both guard positions as well. However, for those exact reasons, it’s likely that Golden State will try to retain him and at least keep his salary–which was $5.6 million–in the same range; which is a range the Lakers probably can’t afford, again, given the penalties under the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement).
Nate Robinson (5’9″ Guard, 180 lbs) – Robinson’s name has been thrown around as well, and he was only paid just over $1.1 million last season. He’s certainly a scorer and can create his own shot in a multitude of ways, but (A) Chicago is probably willing to dish out more money given his performance in the current playoffs, (B) he may not be the best fit for the Lakers offensively, and (C) defensively he’s a liability with his height.
Marco Bellinelli (6’5″ Shooting Guard, 195 lbs) – This is actually a viable option. Bellinelli was paid just under $2 million last season, and has had an up-and-down type of season with the Bulls. Anyway, Belinelli averaged 9.6 points on 39.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.7 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. Those numbers don’t stick out at all, but I believe he’d be an improvement over Meeks.
Tony Allen (6’4″ Guard-Forward, 213 lbs) – Great defender. Horrible long distance shooter (12.5 percent from three last season). Although he isn’t highly paid at $3.3 million, the Lakers need a player who can spread the floor for their two big men, and Allen can’t do that. Pass.
Dorell Wright (6’9″ Guard-Forward, 205 lbs) – Wright was paid just over $4 million last season, but has seen his production and minutes diminish (9.2 points in under 23 minutes with the Pistons) since having a 16.4 point, 5.5 rebound, 3.0 assist season in 38 minutes per game with the Warriors just two seasons prior. Perhaps the allure of playing in a big market would appeal to Wright and persuade him to take quite a bit less money.
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Nick Young (6’7″ Guard-Forward, 210 lbs) – Young averaged 10.7 points last season on 41.3 percent shooting from the field and 35.7 percent from the three-point line. However, he was paid $6 million last season, which is simply too much.
Randy Foye (6’4″ Guard, 220 lbs) – Foye was paid just $2.5 million last season and averaged 10.8 points on 41.0 percent shooting from the three-point line. He could certainly be an option if the Lakers feel that he–at age 30 by next season–would be an improvement over the soon-to-be 26-year-old Meeks.
Corey Brewer (6’9″ Guard-Foward, 188 lbs) – Brewer averaged 12.9 points last season with the Nuggets, but shot just 29.6 percent from three-point land; his salary was $3.2 million last season.
Chauncey Billups (6’3″ Guard, 215 lbs) – Yes he’s old (he’ll be 37 by next season), and yes he was injured much of last season, but we all know the type of player Billups can be when healthy. He made $4 million last year, and it’s unclear whether the Clippers will attempt to retain him. However, it’s unlikely the Lakers will try to add another aging guard to their roster, which is understandable.
Shaun Livingston (6’7″ Guard, 175 lbs) – Livingston averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 assists last season, shot 50.7 percent from the field and was paid under a million dollars. If only he was an outside threat, he would actually be an attractive option for the Lakers. His length and ability to play both guard positions certainly could make him an option if the Lakers can pick him up for cheap while also retaining one of their current backup shooting guards.
Martell Webster (6’7″ Guard-Forward, 235 lbs) – Webster averaged 11.4 points on 42.2 percent shooting from threee-point land last season and earned just $1.75 million last season. He’ll likely search for more money, but the Lakers should definitely give him a call.
Mickael Pietrus (6’6″ Guard-Forward, 215 lbs) – Pietrus is a solid defender, but averaged just 5.3 points in 19 games last season. However, he earned less than a million dollars, and if he can return to the form he was in while with the Orlando Magic, he might be a consideration; but I doubt it.
Matt Barnes (6’7″ Guard-Forward, 226 lbs) – We all remember Matt Barnes. He had his best season with the Clippers last season after being picked up towards the end of last summer for less than a million dollars. However, it’s likely that the Clippers will make a serious run at him this offseason, and he’s a perfect fit with them as well.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. (6’9″ Guard-Forward, 230 lbs) – Dunleavy averaged 10.5 points on 42.8 percent shooting from three-point land last season, but earned $3.7 million as well, which could be a problem for the Lakers if he plans to receive a similar figure next season.
Final Thought
As you can see, the Lakers’ options are quite limited with regards to finding a backup guard in free agency that can create his own shot, knock down the long ball and play some defense; all while being affordable for the Lakers. Maybe they exercise the team option on Jodie Meeks and hope that he improves; maybe they bank on Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris to keep improving; or maybe they somehow make a trade and try to acquire a player who meets at least a few of their needs.
It’s likely that Nash and Blake will return, and the two can be deadly together, but the Lakers undeniably need a solid backup to Kobe Bryant. Whether it’s a current player who steps up his game, a free agent who signs with the Lakers or an acquisition via trade, it’s the most necessary improvement the Lakers need if they do indeed proceed forward with the current core group of players.
The Lakers certainly need to attempt to get as young and athletic as possible, as having too many older, slowerplayers makes things extremely difficult in today’s game. They should look to make as many possible tweaks to multiple positions to do so, with no position more important at this point than the backup guard one. At the same time, if they can come away with a highly skilled veteran who’s willing to take less money, they’d better give it a shot too.
If they can manage that, they may once again be a contending team next year.
That’s just my take on it though. Let us know your thoughts and/or the moves you would make to improve the team if you were Mitch Kupchak, in the comments below!