<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ending their search for a point guard, or at least a Phil Jackson-type point guard, the Lakers have agreed to terms with another candidate no one could have predicted, Aaron McKie. "We've come to an agreement," said McKie's agent, Leon Rose, from his home in Pennsauken, N.J., on Sunday. "Everything will get done over the course of the next few days. "The Lakers approached him with a nice offer. He had a long talk with Coach Jackson regarding the situation and the role he can play was something that appealed to him. "Coach Jackson has had a lot of success with veteran big guards and hopefully Aaron can have the same kind of success and bring the team a defensive presence. "He's also looking forward to playing with Kobe Bryant. He's known him a long time from their days in Philadelphia." The agreement is for two years and $5 million. The Lakers had no comment. The agreement with McKie is expected to end negotiations with Derek Anderson, another big veteran guard who received a similar offer but was expected to take less and sign with the Houston Rockets. Having traded Chucky Atkins, last season's starter, the Lakers have been looking for a successor in Jackson's unconventional mold, in which size and attitude count more than youth, athleticism, scoring ability ? or even any experience as a point guard. In Jackson's triangle offense, the point guard is called the "initiator." He sets things up and makes the first pass but doesn't control the ball as much as a conventional point guard and doesn't have to be as good a playmaker. When Jackson arrived with the Lakers in 1999, he benched starting point guard Derek Fisher, who had just gotten a five-year, $15-million contract, and brought in bigger, older Ron Harper to replace him. Harper had played shooting guard for his entire career until Jackson switched him to "initiator" with the Chicago Bulls in 1995 at age 31.</div> Source
i think mckie's a great fit for the team. no problem with chemistry with kobe, though i think his leadership skills are not that good. he reminds me of ron harper. im so excited for next season!! mckie, kobe, lamar, brown, mhim!
If you look at the Laker lineup for the upcoming season, you can find many similarities with Jackson's Bulls, as I'm sure everyone else has noticed as well. A worn down SG turned PG, one of the best SGs (Jordan was the best and Kobe the current best depending on who you ask,) a very talented and lengthy SF who has very good handles with the ball, a very solid dependable PF ( some may say it's too early to call for Kwame but I don't see him posting anything less than 11-8 ) and a dependable center who isn't anything special. The Bulls did have a very good bench however, something the current Laker roster lacks. This is obviously what the Lakers are aiming for, and I'm very interested in how it works out. Man I can't wait for the season to start!
