<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">There are games that don?t get any easier to watch and questions that don?t get any easier to answer for Lakers center Chris Mihm, now two weeks into his recovery from Nov. 14 surgery on his right ankle. For the time being, Mihm must keep the ankle completely immobilized, a prognosis he can be forgiven for thinking applies to his basketball career as well. He will spend time in a walking boot after that and is not expected to play at all this season. With a set of oversized crutches supporting his 7-foot frame, Mihm stopped by the Lakers? practice facility Wednesday. His two-year run as the team?s starting center has ended, his hopes for a breakthrough season have been dashed. ``I kind of feel like we?ve built something here over the three years that I?ve been here,?? Mihm said. ``To see the guys that we had coming in this year, I knew this year was going to be a special year. ``It?s really why there was no thought in my mind that there was going to be anything that could keep me out of playing with this team and being part of the Lakers this year.?? Mihm originally suffered a severe sprain of the ankle in the final minute of the Lakers? March 12 game against Seattle. He underwent surgery July 26 to clean up scar tissue in the ankle in the hopes of making it back for the season opener. But Mihm?s recovery stalled - - he described it as being in ``limbo?? and said he couldn?t go out to dinner without being in pain - - and he underwent a second surgery this month to repair tendon and ligament damage as well as re-align his heel. The timetable for a full recovery is six to eight months. Mihm is holding out hope that he could play if the Lakers advanced deep in the playoffs. ``It?s going to be a long shot, but it?s something that I definitely have in my mind and something I want to do,?? Mihm said. ``If it?s realistic, if I?m healthy, if this ankle is ready to do it, then certainly I?d love to join this team at some point. But time will tell.?? The hardest part, Mihm said, is watching the games at home and ``knowing what I could do.?? Mihm averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in what was a career-best season before the injury. Mihm will be a free agent next summer and the Lakers have two centers already under contract in Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown. But Mihm made a strong statement Wednesday about wanting to stay with the team. ``That?s my goal,?? Mihm said. ``That?s a lot of the reason that I wanted to stay and play this year was to be a part of this team, to show what I could do and be an integral part of this team?s rise. ``I take the most pride of anything in my basketball career in putting on that Laker jersey and being the starting center for the Lakers for two years. That was something I worked hard for and it was a long time coming and it was something I relished every night. ``This is certainly a place, a team, an organization, a city that I?ve fallen in love with. And I hope that come July that we?ll be able to figure out a way to keep me here.??</div> Link Whatever happens, I love his attitude. I just hope we can re-sign him at a "reasonable price." Considering he is out for the season, he shouldn't demand any big deals. Also, it never hurts to have a lot of depth at the big man spots. It just seems like the guy loves this Laker organization. This quote sums it all up:``I take the most pride of anything in my basketball career in putting on that Laker jersey and being the starting center for the Lakers for two years.''
Well he should have pride when he puts on that jersey, he plays for the greatest organization in the NBA
I like Mihm but truthfully I can't see him anywhere in the future. Cook, Turiaf, Brown, Vlade, and Brown + Mihm? I don't know. Seems we're stuffed up imo.
Im kinda glad Milm had 2 good seasons with the Lakers but he would be good to trade away for a point guard in the offseason. I dont think he will get much minutes if he does come back because Bynum and Kwame are getting much better while he's been injured.
If mihm is willing to take a huge paycut, then sure, I'd love to keep him. Mihm, Bynum, and Kwame up front... Now thats pretty formidable if you ask me. Its a matter of how much he is willing to sacrifice to remain a Laker. Personally, Bynum and Kwame are the future of the franchise. They have so much potential.
isnt mihm out for the rest of the season. Ever since the trade between the C's and the Lakers for Mihm I have not liked Mihm at all. I honostly think he is a waste of money and as of now, my opinion is pretty much valid considering he hasnt played one game this season and will most likely not play for the rest of year (assuming he is out for the season). The Lakers should not resign him after this season.
<div class="quote_poster">Trench Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">If mihm is willing to take a huge paycut, then sure, I'd love to keep him. Mihm, Bynum, and Kwame up front... Now thats pretty formidable if you ask me. Its a matter of how much he is willing to sacrifice to remain a Laker. Personally, Bynum and Kwame are the future of the franchise. They have so much potential.</div> Huge paycut? He's only making $3M a season. LOL I think Mihm is worth $5M to $6M a season for the Lakers to keep. You can never predict injuries and having a servicable backup PF/C is valuable in the Western Conference. The only hold up will be how effective Mihm is after surgery. He's been out for so long already, and you're never the same after ankle surgery, especially a severe case Mihm has endured. A fair contract would probably be $2.5M for the 1st year to give the organization a better idea of what Mihm is still capable of doing, but have it incentive laden. A 3 year $10M to $12M contract with a Player Option in year 3 is fair IMO.
lol. Okay shape maybe not a huge paycut. Actually 500,000 is a huge paycut for a average Joe Smo like me! Everyone seems to forget that Mihm was helping us win alot of ballgames last season. He was basically the most consistent player besides Kobe Bryant last year. He's a solid role player, and by the looks of the article, he seems to genuinely love our ballclub and city. He wants to play basketball here. That sounds like a keeper to me. Now that Mihms been having problems physically, he gets no love? I like your idea shape. Sounds about right to me.
Maybe his shoe endorsement deal with Pony can help cover the difference. LOL. Every Laker fan needs to show support and get yourself a pair of Pony Snoopaflys.
Uh Oh. Do you guys remember what Glen rice said right after the first championship " Lets keep everything just like it is and don't change nothing." next season he was a knick. LOL!
I'd like him to stay, but I don't know if it'll happen. We've got a lot of depth in our frontcourt without him, so while he may want to stay, do we really necessarily need him? I realize the added depth is always good, but it is it necessary if we have Brown and Bynum each capable of playing the center, and a slew of others able to play the PF? If it comes at a relatively small cost, I'm for it, if he asks for a ton, like most bigs do on the open market, I think not.
