<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Though a number of interested free agents remain on the market, the Los Angeles Lakers may already have their roster in place. Al Harrington has yet to find a home and the Lakers have often been mentioned as a suitor. Unfortunately for LA, the Atlanta Hawks want a package that includes young center Andrew Bynum. That's a price the Lakers are simply not willing to pay. They have very high hopes for Bynum, who made dramatic strides in his second summer league. At just 18 years old, Bynum's development is still inconsistent, but LA is more than prepared to wait. With Bynum off the table, the Lakers have a standing offer based around Chris Mihm. At this point talks are quiet as Atlanta, along with Harrington's (impending) new agent Arn Tellem, shop for the best deal. Should all other discussions fail, the Lakers could be a fallback option. The Indiana Pacers are still considered the favorite. That said, LA is moving forward with the expectation that Harrington will not be a Laker. Another option at forward would be Drew Gooden of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who has expressed interest in playing for the Lakers. Whether a sign and trade with the Cavaliers is feasible is immaterial. LA isn't willing to overpay for Gooden's services. Laker GM Mitch Kupchak is assuredly aware that his mentor, Jerry West of the Memphis Grizzlies, traded Gooden for Mike Miller a few years back. Though Gooden has developed into a relatively solid player, he is not on the Laker radar. Barring a change in the Harrington situation, the Lakers are confident that their current roster is strong enough to exceed last year's campaign. The following is an early depth chart projection: PG Smush Parker, Shammond Williams, Jordan Farmar SG Kobe Bryant, Mo Evans, Sasha Vujacic, Aaron McKie SF Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton PF Lamar Odom, Brian Cook, Ronny Turiaf C Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Andrew Bynum Will Bynum overtake Mihm? Turiaf get Cook's minutes? How much time will Farmar get? What will role with Vujacic play? As it stands, the roster doesn't leave room for the restricted free agent Devin Green, the recovering Laron Profit or the non-guaranteed contract of Von Wafer. Second round draft pick Danilo Pinnock will probably end up in Europe next season; the Lakers retaining his rights. LA is no longer considering Kareem Rush. The Bottom Line Though there is obvious duplication on the roster, don't expect any changes before camp. The Lakers are amenable to a multi-player trade to open a few roster spots, but have yet to come close to anything real. They have a small shot to land Harrington, but it's simply not likely to happen. The team isn't prepared to consider buying out any of their players (McKie), but as training camp opens that certainly can change. Though still imperfect, the Lakers have improved. They added the shooter in Radmanovic, depth in Evans and Williams, along with a very nice prospect at the point in Farmar. Only the most diehard fan expects the Lakers to win the championship this season, but a more realistic goal might be 50 wins and a visit to the second round of the playoffs. </div> http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_18380.shtml This is just his speculation, I'm not sure how I'd feel with Gooden. I guess it all depends on the price.
Im not too sure how I feel about Gooden at this point either. IF we can get him for a steal, then Im all for it.
I'm crossing my fingers on Harrington. I don't like Mihm and I want to see him gone. Brown is way better at Center then Mihm will ever be. As for the dept chart...I don't think they were very accurate as to where Farmer stands amongst the PG's. I think Farmer should start next season, but with limited minutes. I also think Turiaf should get Cook's minutes because Cook is a complete waste sperm. Turiaf shows some potential and with the passion he has for the game, I want to see him flourish. Also, if the roster stands, I do think that Bynum should take Mihms minutes becuase Andrew needs to start getting more exposed to NBA style of play so that he can develop faster.
I don't think we need Gooden. He would hinder Turiaf or Cooks playing time. I still don't understand why we have Aaron Mckie. Drop his ass like a sack of potatoes and grab Pinnock.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Lakers4Life:</div><div class="quote_post">Lakers are done this offeason.</div> That's what I think.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting LAKERSKB8:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm crossing my fingers on Harrington. I don't like Mihm and I want to see him gone. Brown is way better at Center then Mihm will ever be. As for the dept chart...I don't think they were very accurate as to where Farmer stands amongst the PG's. I think Farmer should start next season, but with limited minutes. I also think Turiaf should get Cook's minutes because Cook is a complete waste sperm. Turiaf shows some potential and with the passion he has for the game, I want to see him flourish. Also, if the roster stands, I do think that Bynum should take Mihms minutes becuase Andrew needs to start getting more exposed to NBA style of play so that he can develop faster.</div>I have to completely disagree with about everything you just said here. First and foremost, I don't want Harrington. He wants too much money and he won't help us nearly as much as you may think, outside of a little bit on offense. Next, Farmar won't start, at least not initially. I think his placement of 3rd in the depth is accurate. I'm pretty sure Smush will have the starting job, and since Shammond has some NBA experience already, he'll get the 2nd slot over Farmar for that reason. However, I think there is a lot of potential that, if Smush is struggling by AS break that we could move up Farmar as the starter. Also, Turiaf, while I like him, is just not as good as Cook. For that matter, they're completely opposite players. Turiaf is a hustle guy who will do the dirty work and play some defense. Cook, on the other hand, doesn't play defense, but he's the offensive guy. He stretches the defense with his range. For that matter, he helps unclog the lane for guys like Kobe by being able to hit the outside shot and forcing the teams opposing PFs to come defend him out there. Personally, while I'm not a huge Cook fan, his minutes aren't in all that much jeapordy if you ask me. Turiaf just doesn't bring a lot to the table. Sure, he'll get some boards here and there and score on a couple of putbacks, but in the end, I'd rather have Cooks offense over Turiafs hustle. Next, Mihm is not a waste. For that matter, he's actually pretty good. Prior to injury last year, he was having a career season. He's a good shot blocker, something we don't currently have outside of him. He's a good offensive post player. Heck, he could be a 15/8 type of guy if he could just stay on the court instead of getting in foul trouble. Bynum, on the other hand, is still not ready. He still won't contribute much more than 4/4 this year, or something along those lines. He doesn't have nearly enough polish on that offensive game, and while he may have size, he still doesn't completely know how to use it on the defensive end. In the long run, I see him having a little bigger of a role than last year, but not by too much. Most of his minutes are still likely going to be garbage minutes, with most of the backup center minutes going to Mihm. Bynum, in short, isn't ready.
i would trade bynum for anyone that can help kobe out right now, all bynum does is sit his ass down and watch as kobe fades away from his prime
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting philip2136:</div><div class="quote_post">i would trade bynum for anyone that can help kobe out right now, all bynum does is sit his ass down and watch as kobe fades away from his prime</div>And that's exactly why you're not a GM. You don't trade someone as big as Bynum with the amount of potential he has, unless you're getting a star in return. Bynum has the potential to be about as good as Shaq, and that's pretty damn good if you ask me. I'd rather hang onto Bynum as opposed to trading him off for Gooden. Plus, Kobe, this year, looks to have plenty of halep as it is. Odom, Radman, Smush, Kwame, and Mihm. That's some decent help right there. Throw in an improving Vujacic, Shammond, Farmar, Cook, and Turiaf, that's one hell of a supporting cast if you ask me.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Moo2K4:</div><div class="quote_post">And that's exactly why you're not a GM. You don't trade someone as big as Bynum with the amount of potential he has, unless you're getting a star in return. Bynum has the potential to be about as good as Shaq, and that's pretty damn good if you ask me. </div> What exactly makes you think bynum has the potential to be as good as shaq?! arguably one of the top 3 centers of all time. why because their both 7 feet? like i've said before if desagna diop had been drefted by the lakers, LA fans people would have been calling him the next shaq as well.
Gooden going to sign with the Cavs. Scratch one more name off the NBA's ever-shrinking list of quality free agents: Drew Gooden. Gooden's representative, Calvin Andrews, told ESPN.com on Monday that his client has agreed to terms with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract worth about $23 million. Re-signing Gooden was the Cavs' other main priority this offseason, after securing LeBron James' signature on a contract extension last month. The lack of further free-agent activity in Cleveland isn't surprising after its spending spree last summer to re-sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas and bring in Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones. "It was a long negotiation, but ultimately Danny Ferry was very fair and professional throughout the process," Andrews said of the Cavaliers' general manager. "At the end of the day, Drew is very excited to re-sign with what he feels is a team on the cusp of a championship. He feels he has found a home with the Cavaliers." Gooden originally sought a deal in the same range as the six-year, $60 million pact Nene received from the Denver Nuggets, or the six-year, $57 million contract Al Harrington is expected to net from the Indiana Pacers in a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks. But Gooden and Seattle SuperSonics forward Chris Wilcox -- another restricted free agent likely to sign a three-year deal worth $20-to-$25 million -- found their options limited. h**p://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2549112
Yeah, I really don't see him as the force that Shaq was... I'm just hoping for him to be an all-star.
